Transcendence
by My Hopeless Romantic
Summary: Mikan goes through life with an incontrovertible sense of humor. Because nothing is impossible if you don't try. It's about overcoming obstacles, surpassing expectations and opening your damaged heart enough to let old wounds heal. #3
1. Taking the World by Storm

**Disclaimer: **Gakuen Alice is not mine, nor is the song _Anything but Ordinary _from Avril Lavigne.

-;-

_Chapter 1. Taking the World by Storm_

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_-;-_

Mikan liked to think she was a very patient person.

She liked to think her soul was born at the wrong time, in the wrong place and in the wrong circumstances. There was no other way to explain why her patience waned startlingly quickly whenever her classmates were by her side.

It was almost funny just how out of place she felt in this small town. There was always that nagging feeling in her chest that reminded her there was a world outside of the invisible barriers of Nagoya. But Mikan wasn't much of a dreamer. There was just something about wishing for a better future and knowing there was a huge possibility in being disappointed that completely paralyzed her.

Mikan knew disappointment very well.

She knew it in the small reminder of her home. She knew it in the lonely ache in her heart. She knew it in abandonment and in trusting and in dependence.

Needless to say, Mikan didn't like to be disappointed.

So she wandered through the days with the silent reassurance of daily routine and the tranquility of repetition. She worked at a café that was in walking distance of her house (if you could call it that) and she did her homework as any rebellious child would (which meant whenever it struck her fancy).

What set her a part from the others would probably be her talent with the guitar. She'd tried playing piano and she tried playing violin, but there was something about the stiff strings of the guitar against her fingers and the calluses that spoke of the hard work she put forward, and especially the lull of the deep vibrations, that made her heart unclench the slightest bit.

It wasn't much, just an inch.

But in that inch, there was beauty.

-;-

"Oh, stop it!"

There was a feminine giggle of delight from her right and Mikan fought the urge to pinch the bridge of her nose when the sounds of a scuffle from behind her reached her ears. She was walking with a close friend of hers, Kokoro Yome, who'd insisted that she come along because there was_ something really cool I wanted you to see!_

Yeah? Then why was the little girlfriend coming along?

What was her name again?

_Anna._

She vomited a little in her mouth thinking about the too cheerful, pink-haired girl beside her. Fixing her lips into something that wasn't a scowl, Mikan concentrated on the sound of her boots clunking against the cement, hoping that if she tried hard enough, she would be able to drown out the flirtatious giggles and the _oh, you're so silly, Koko_'s that were continuously grating at her patience.

Mikan sighed and tilted her head back. She rolled her neck a little bit and narrowed her eyes as the sun scorched the back of her neck.

After another bout of giggles, Mikan pinned Koko with a dark look. "Koko, you'd better know where we're going because if I'm interrupting your date, then it'd be my _pleasure _to leave you two alone." She narrowed her eyes at the innocent smile on his face and almost groaned with disgust at Anna's accompanying squeal.

His eyes gleamed. "You'll see."

"Yeah?" Her voice was almost flippant. "Well you're about to see a big fat bruise on your cheek if you don't tell me where you're planning on taking me."

He laughed and sped up in order to walk facing both girls with a Cheshire grin on his face. "_Chill, _you. It'll be a surprise!"

"And you know how much I _love _surprises," Mikan deadpanned with a roll of her eyes.

He merely smiled reassuringly before turning around and continuing his conversation with Anna. Mikan was almost completely able to block them out when Koko actually _shouted_ for the both of them to stop. He straightened and pointed across the street. "We're here."

Fighting the urge to make a condescending comment, Mikan darted a quick glance around the place and noticed immediately what he'd planned. They were standing in front of his father's red bricked radio station with flashing yellow lights that spelled _Muzik _on the front.

Mikan turned to him, unimpressed. "Koko, I know you know I've been to your dad's station before. What was with the whole 'surprise' deal?" She felt the annoyance radiating off of her body in waves and her right eye twitched.

It didn't take much to annoy the heck out of her.

The gleam in his eyes made her picture him mentally rubbing his hands together with glee. "Of course you have," Koko rolled his eyes. The reason she liked him so much was probably because he'd gotten her free visits to the station where she could listen to all of the songs she wanted. That and his tastes in music weren't as bad as she'd expect from somebody her age.

"But here's the skinny," he leaned in, as if telling a secret, "—my dad is getting you _on air_, how cool is _that_?" He took her arm with a smile and pulled her along, ushering her into the dimly lit studio.

Koko's dad was an eccentric character. There was something about him that made Mikan's freak-radar go on and off erratically. He was a fairly average looking Asian man, with a dark head of dark brown hair, closer to black than brown and a winsome smile always plastered to his face. He was very much like his son, actually, but his main eccentricities were given off by his style and his odd speech.

There was something just terribly wrong with a grown man trying to speak gangster and who wore clothes some teenage boys wouldn't even dare to wear.

But he was nice.

Though Mikan was the type of person that found the majority intolerable, there was something about really nice people that she didn't mind as much.

Sometimes they _did _manage to rub her the wrong way, though.

"Are you ready, Mikan?" Koko's father asked distractedly, tinkering with the flashing switches and buttons on the dash. "We can have you in two minutes."

Mikan blinked and glared at Koko who was lounging just off to the side with Anna, his arms around her waist and a bright grin on his face. When he saw her looking, he gave her the thumbs up and proceeded to kiss Anna on the lips.

Mikan bristled slightly.

Koko sprung this gig on her at the last _second _and expected her to do her best? God, sometimes she thought he didn't think at all.

With great care, she loosened the straps of her guitar case and flipped open the top. Her guitar was a bit old. She'd managed to scrounge up enough money from her part-time job to get the thing. It wasn't the best, but it did the job and it was all she had. Her constant.

She brushed the neck of the guitar with the lightest of touches before another call from Koko's father had her pulling the strap over her neck and making certain it was tuned and the strings were appropriately taut.

She could feel gooseflesh erupting on her arms with the nerves.

She was going to sing on air.

As much as she'd like to say she was never nervous singing, Mikan wasn't a liar. It was fine when she was singing to herself, but singing with other people present was something else altogether. She knew she was decent enough at singing and writing, in her own opinion. But would others be able to relate at all?

Mikan let out a shuddering breath and tried to ease her nerves.

It seemed to work, until Koko's father ushered her over.

"Don't worry about the flashing buttons, Mikan. I'll handle everything and make sure everything's workin' like a dream." He smiled reassuringly and handed her a headset before he grabbed another and threw them over his ears.

She almost laughed at the way her fingers shook when she put the headphones on but her nerves were in a frenzy and it took everything in her to not just let her expression fall.

Her nerves only quickened when the man behind the glassy Plexiglas raised a hand and started counting down. Before she knew it, the _On Air_ neon letters flashed into her eyes.

"Welcome back!" Koko's father started in his 'hip' voice. "It's DJ Yome and we're back with today's top rock hits. Before we get to the rest of our top twenty, I'm pleased to say we've got a guest singer visiting us today." He turned slightly from the mike to wink at her before saying, "She's a small town singer with a big voice. Please give it up for Mikan Sakura!"

Mikan, in spite of his slightly calming nature, could hear his voice ringing in her headset and all she wanted to do was throw it off and punch him one in the face. Maybe it was her nerves talking. Maybe it was just the Mikan that couldn't stand even the smallest annoyances. Whatever it was, all of her took a backseat to singer Mikan, the Mikan who sang and wrote and was currently almost trembling with anxiety.

She'd never sang in front of people before, except her best friend and Koko.

With shaking fingers, Mikan grabbed onto the mike in front of her and looked at Koko's father for direction. The man merely nodded his head at the microphone and smiled.

Seeing her reluctance, he prompted, "You're seventeen, are you not? When was it that you started singing?"

Hating that she was being so _weak_, Mikan tightened her grip on the microphone and said, "Hi, thank you for having me." She swallowed before responding, "I'm actually turning seventeen in a few months and I've sang for as long as I can remember. I didn't get serious about it until I was twelve."

"And what inspired you to become a singer?" he asked. "Was it the fame? The fortune?"

Glaring over the microphone, Mikan paused. She'd never told anybody her reasons for singing before. She didn't think she'd start by telling the whole city. "For my own special reasons," she said instead, trying not to sound annoyed. "But I don't think you guys want to listen to me talk about nonsense."

"Of course we do," Koko's father returned cheerily. "But you're right. Why don't we get to it? What will you be singing for us today?"

He leaned over and fiddled with a couple of buttons, urging her to continue the conversation while he played with the flashing knobs.

Unsure, Mikan replied, "This is called _Anything but Ordinary._"

She didn't know if he'd wanted her to make some flashy intro. She couldn't even if she'd wanted to. Instead, she picked up her cradled guitar and, after taking a deep breath, started strumming.

She had mutant butterflies in her stomach, but as her fingers moved and as the rough feel of the cords brushed the pads of her fingers, Mikan couldn't help but feel like… this was meant to be.

-

_Sometimes I get so weird  
I even freak myself out  
I laugh myself to sleep  
It's my lullaby_

_Sometimes I drive so fast  
Just to feel the danger  
I wanna scream  
It makes me feel alive_

_Is it enough to love?  
Is it enough to breath?  
Somebody rip my heart out  
And leave me here to bleed_

_Is it enough to die?  
Somebody save my life  
I'd rather be anything but ordinary please_

_To walk within the lines  
Would make my life so boring  
I want to know that  
I Have been to the extreme  
So knock me off my feet  
Come on now give it to me  
Anything to make me feel alive_

_Let down your defences  
Use no common sense  
If you look you will see that this  
world is a beautiful accident  
turbulent succulent  
opulent permanent, no way  
I wanna taste it  
Don't wanna waste it away_

_Sometimes I get so weird  
I even freak myself out  
I laugh my self to sleep  
It's my lullaby_

_I'd rather be anything but ordinary please_

_I'd rather be anything but ordinary please…_

Mikan shivered a bit before opening her eyes and clamping a hand over the chords.

"That was Mikan Sakura, everybody!" Mikan blinked at Koko's father before letting a small smile grace her lips. She'd done it. She was done. And it felt _damn _good. "—I was simply _blown _away. I would continue to ask questions but I'm so… speechless, I can't come up with anything! Let's get to some callers, shall we?"

He fiddled with several buttons before asking, "Hello, Yome here. Who's this?"

"_Hi, it's Shisame! I just wanted to say I'm so proud to come from the same city as you. You sounded amazing, I'm so jealous! Um… my question was, did you write that song and if yes, where you got your inspiration from."_

Koko's father passed her the microphone she'd been using earlier. "Um, yeah. I wrote it. I guess I'm just inspired by everyday life." Before she could lean back, Koko's dad had ended the call and had picked up another one.

"_I just want to say I thought you sounded good, if not a bit manly. You _are _a girl, right__? If yes, are you single?"_

Mikan's eyes narrowed before she all but snarled, "Koko, if you think you're funny, you're not." Honestly, leave it to her berk of a best friend to make fun of her _and _embarrass her on live radio.

"… _damn. Okay, fine. Mikan Sakura was awesome! Support her!"_

Mikan merely shook her head while Koko's father took another caller.

"Okay, hello and who is this?" he asked, all smiles.

"_Hello, my name is Narumi__ from Music Stars. I'm hoping you aren't already signed because I've never heard anything that sounds as fresh and as modern as you for a long time. If you'll agree to a meeting with a Music Stars scout, we'd love to have you."_

Mikan's eyes bulged and it took all she had not to slap herself in the face to see if she was dreaming. Things like this just didn't _happen_.

"_If you're interested, Ms. Sakura, I'd like to schedule a meeting."_

"I…" Speechless, Mikan gaped at the talking speakers and fumbled with the chords of the microphone before putting it to her lips. "I'd love to. Whenever's fine."

"_Perfect, I'll keep in touch. Once again, incredible job just now."_

Koko's father was in the midst of patting her on the back when the line went dead. He slid over to his mike before exclaiming, "Well, _that _was an incredible turn of events. I'd like to personally thank Mikan Sakura for taking the time to sing for us today. Who knows, you might see her in a year on the big screen and know this is where she came from, the little town of Nagoya. Let's take a break."

Koko's dad pressed a flashing red button and soon, there were commercial breaks playing over the headphones.

Mikan took off the headphones, still slightly dazed at what had just happened. Was this just a joke? It was probably just a prank caller trying to get her hopes up. Again, this just _never _happened. What are the chances a big scout from _Music Stars _would be listening _right _when she sang? Very slim.

"Mikan," Koko's father called. He stood up and patted her softly on the back, knowing from experience that she wasn't one for touch. "I'm so proud of you, kid. You've come a long way."

Before much could be said between Anna's little squeals and Koko's smug grins, there was a knock on the studio doors. A boy in black pants and a blue polo looked around the room before asking generally, "Is Mikan Sakura here?" he asked, politely scanning the studio.

Koko's father answered in the affirmative before Mikan stepped forward, immediately catching the boy's eyes. "That's me," she said slowly. "Are you—"

"From _Music Stars,_" he grinned boyishly, flipping up the envelope in his hands. "I have a message from one of our representatives, Narumi, but then again, I'm sure you knew that."

_That was fast._

When he was just a few steps away, he stumbled a bit before blushing to his roots. Apologizing, he looked down at her (since he was freakishly tall) and extended the envelope. She barely noticed him as she took the envelope with a _thank you_.

Breezily, she called, "Koko, let's go."

At sixteen years, Mikan Sakura was ready to take on the world.

Or if she was being honest, she'd been ready for a long time.

With her head held high, her boots clunking on the ground, Mikan looked at the world with new eyes. She was ready to take the world by storm.

_Bring it on world, because you won't know what hit you._

_

* * *

_

_My Hopeless Romantic_


	2. Getting Let Go, Not Fired

**Disclaimer:** All recognizable characters belong to Tachibana Higuchi. The rest is mine. :)

-;-

_Chapter 2. Getting Let Go, Not Fired_

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_-;-_

When Mikan had bade farewell to her friends, she turned toward home just a block from where she lived out in the Northern Forest. It was always such a lonely path home, especially since everybody seemed to be so afraid of the Northern Forest. To be honest, it wasn't the most inviting looking place, but Mikan didn't think it was so bad. It was there and reliable, which was definitely more than she could say about some other things and people she knew.

She lived by herself in a small wooden structure with exactly three rooms. There was a kitchen with a small stove she never used and a table. There was a bathroom, with a toilet, sink and shower, and then, there was her bedroom, with her duffel bag of clothes, a roll-out futon and a couple of beat-up notebooks.

Mikan was well aware of the fact that she wasn't as well endowed as her classmates and friends, but this was all she ever knew and there was nothing more she could do but accept it. She had everything she needed, nothing more and nothing less. Hotaru had always said she was an idiot for settling for this, but Hotaru, though her best friend, didn't seem to understand that there was only so much a girl of sixteen could do to make a difference.

She ate lunch and dinner at work, where she worked as a waitress wearing ridiculously short uniforms and did her homework at the café where there was free electricity and endless coffee. Everything she earned at the café, she used to pay off the water bills and buy the odd movie ticket and snacks.

If she were being honest, she knew there were people that were doing far worse than she was, and that thought fueled her to keep doing her best, or at least, enough to get by. She could care less about homework and school.

Hotaru had asked her once, why she hadn't just stayed with her last foster parents, but again, Hotaru just didn't _understand. _Her parents were alive, they were perfect and they cared. Her foster parents had been nice… sweet even. But there was something about the terrible yelling that made her head want to explode.

Mikan chuckled a bit before she glimpsed the blinding white note taped to her front door and she tried to calm the beat of her heart that had started to pitter patter at an alarming rate. She hated hope, she hated hoping, but she couldn't stop the large, warm feeling in her chest from appearing at the sight of the white slip of paper.

She tugged it off the door and let a smile split her face.

The writing was smooth and precise:

_Mikan,_

Come over.

_I'm back,_

_Hotaru_

Mikan smiled widely, letting herself into the house and gathering all of her things, all the while thinking, _succinct as always._

-;-

Hotaru lived in a large Victorian styled house with turrets and large windows. It would've looked western, but one way or another, Hotaru's mom had kept it looking very Japanese. It had a dark brown rooftop with white walls and black frames with a small lot for cars.

It was a looming shadow, and Mikan loved it.

Mikan walked up to the gates, told them who she was, and then walked up to the door, feeling the wave of giddiness ready to consume her from the inside out. She knocked twice without an answer. She knocked another two times and waited, but no response. Mikan, not quite known for her patience, started knocking to the beat of a river dance.

She was so into it, it took her two seconds to realize she was knocking on air and staring into her best friend's face. She couldn't even begin to describe the feeling blooming in her chest. It was just… large, warm and extremely suffocating.

"Hotaru…" Mikan's face brightened. "You're back!"

Hotaru merely rolled her eyes. "I told you I was back, idiot."

Despite the sharp edge to her last word, Mikan's smile widened. She practically threw herself at her best friend, tackling her into the hallway. By the time Hotaru had gotten Mikan's stuff thrown into the guest room and her mother to start getting snacks, Mikan's smile was a permanent fixture to her face and Hotaru was sitting with her hands folded in her lap and a dispassionate look to her face.

"You look like you're doing well," Hotaru noted after a moment, blinking patiently when Mikan muttered the same thing. "How have you been eating?"

Mikan tried not to roll her eyes, but she'd never had much self-control. "I'm fine, mother. I still work at the café so I get all the sandwiches, milk, bakery and coffee a girl could ever dream of having. Relax. I'm healthy." When her best friend merely raised an eyebrow, disbelieving, Mikan made a show of flexing her arms and poking the muscle. She grinned, "See?"

Hotaru snorted, shaking her head at the ridiculous gesture. "Anyway, that's not the point," Mikan leaned forward, enthusiastic. "How have _you _been? You were gone for _years! _Tell me about what _you've _been up to and your inventions! I miss your inventions!"

Hotaru looked at her with an expression that said, _you miss my Baka gun? _"Well, inventing is the same. I've got a couple of clients that are interested in them, but that's not new. I've gotten into photography," Hotaru concedes, shrugging her shoulders. "But I missed home and it was about time I got to visit you."

"But that's the thing," Mikan said excitedly, momentarily letting her excitement consume her. "If everything goes fine, I'll be coming back to Tokyo with you! It'll be amazing. You remember Koko, right?" Hotaru immediately frowned at the mention of the name, but didn't say a word. Mikan took that as a sign to continue. "His father let me perform on their radio and I got a call from some scout from Music Stars and they're interested in me. Me!"

She looked dazed for a moment before shaking herself. "It's insane. Can you believe it?"

Hotaru blinked, speechless. "No, I can't. That's great." She let her concern cloud over. "Are you sure that wasn't just a joke?"

Mikan frowned. "Hey!"

"I'm not saying you're not good," Hotaru said smoothly, rolling her eyes. "I'm saying we're from Nagoya and this thing just doesn't happen to people from places like here. What are the chances some big-shot record producer happens to be listening to the radio, Koko's dad's radio station, right at the moment when you're going to sing? It's slim. Very slim."

Mikan's expression visibly dropped and Hotaru tried to resurrect the damage. "Look, all I'm saying is be _careful. _There are two types of people in this world. People like us and people that are just creepy. Who knows who this guy is."

"True," Mikan sighed, slapping her palm to her forehead. "What was I _thinking_?! You're right, Hotaru. You're always right. I should've known better than to get my hopes up."

In a show of rare affection, Hotaru moved over and put a hand to her best friend's shoulder, sending her a small smile when she looked up. "I'm not saying not to get your hopes up. I'm saying don't let some creep get you down. You're talented, Mikan. If anybody deserves this chance, it's you and if this doesn't work out, tomorrow's always another day."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Mikan blinked when she felt the warm hand grasping hers. She looked up again at Hotaru with astonishment. She immediately dropped the hand.

"Don't you have work soon?"

"…Shoot!"

-;-

"I'm so hungry, I could eat Yuu!"

"Yeah?" Mochu snorted. "Well, _I'm _so hungry, I could eat Yuu _and_ you!" It took him a second before he wrinkled his nose. "Did that sound as funny as I think it did?"

Ruka shook his head. "We're going to eat right now. Just can it, Mochu."

Natsume rolled his eyes before following Ruka into the nearby coffee shop, ignoring the uneasiness he felt when eyes immediately landed on them. Before they had two feet in the shop, a waitress had walked up to them and clutched onto her notepad. "Hi, I'm Ami and I'll be your waitress for today. What would you… what would you… want…?"

She had a bit of drool dribbling down her lip.

Mochu giggled.

Natsume merely turned away and let Ruka deal with her.

"You know, I've been playing with you guys for what? Two years and I still can't get enough of that? Seriously, it just never gets old!" He snickered and nudged Kitsuneme in the arm before muttering, "I bet they're wondering whether Ruka's a really cute boy or if he's a girl."

Ruka, who was talking to the manager, slowly turned his head around and glared daggers at him. Mochu merely shrugged and fell into the nearest chair before Natsume followed. Ruka smoked Mochu on the back of the head when he'd returned with the manager in tow.

"You're an idiot," Ruka said offhandedly.

Mochu merely shrugged and took it good-naturedly.

The manager smiled and brought out a notepad. "Now what may I get you gentlemen today? Our specials today are the coffee cake and the toffee tarts. We also have a selection o—"

The bell above the door rang and with a gust of wind came a girl with brown hair with an apron slung over her shoulder and a guitar case in hand. Before Mochu could point out that, _hey, that girl plays!_, the manager had smiled at them and called, "You're late again, Sakura."

"I know," her voice was exasperated. "I'm sorry, it won't happen again." She bowed at the manager, only briefly eyeing the group of boys, before heading behind the counter and through the swinging doors to the kitchen.

The manager merely shook his head and smiled before turning back to them. "Well, have you boys decided what you'd like?"

"Not quite," Ruka eyed the menu. "Mochu, why don't you order first?"

Mochu shrugged and proceeded to read off several orders, Kitsuneme following with the same order with an extra cookie, and Yuu followed with a piece of coffee cake. When the manager turned to Natsume, the boy merely blinked and said, "Come back in five minutes."

"Please," Ruka followed up quickly.

The manager smiled at Ruka before nodding and retreating to the kitchen. Ruka turned immediately to his best friend. "You know being polite won't kill you, right?"

"Don't want to take the chance," Natsume muttered in a drawl, turning to look at Yuu. "Oi, Tobita. What do we have next?"

"Geez, Natsume. You've known me for seven years and you _still _won't call me by my name?"

"It's part of his heartbreaker persona," Mochu answered snootily. "We can't have Natsume breaking the image or all of his little fangirls will be crushed. We already have the perfect prince boy, Ruka. You can't have more than one sweetheart in the group. No sales," Mochu shrugged.

Yuu blinked at him before aiming a packet of sugar to his eye. "That is _not_ the point, Mochu. I doubt Natsume could care less about those fangirls—"

"Really?" Mochu cut him off, narrowing his eyes. "Or is that what he _wants _you to think?"

Before Yuu could open his mouth to argue, Ruka cut in exasperatedly. "When's the interview, Yuu?"

Yuu, regaining his composure, straightened his spine and looked at his watch. "I've got it scheduled for 4:30 this afternoon." He looked between Natsume to Ruka before raising an eyebrow, "Is there a problem?"

Ruka looked to Natsume, who shrugged. "Something about this place doesn't feel right," was all he said, before Mochu cut in with a tirade about how being in the country made him feel like a farmer.

"How about we wander the town later," Yuu suggested mildly, adjusting his glasses. "I've heard of some really interesting shops and people around here. We could ask around before heading off to do the interview."

"Whatever you want, boss," Ruka mock saluted, before examining the menu again.

Mochu was arguing with Natsume, who insisted on grunting _yes's _and _no's, _when there was the soft sound of someone clearing their throat. Four heads looked up to see a waitress with brown hair tied up into a ponytail and a frown on her face. Her uniform consisted of a short, white skirt and polo covered with a black apron.

When it looked like she'd gotten their attention, she placed Mochu's large order in front of him, and Yuu's cake in front of him, before she forced out a smile and asked, "Hi, do you know what you'd like?"

Ruka smiled and immediately ordered some pastry and a drink. Natsume quickly registered the small pink tinge in the boy's cheeks before he turned to the waitress and his heart skipped a beat.

There was no question about it.

She was the kind of beautiful that made it hard for a man to swallow.

Besides the frown and the impatient look on her face, she made him want to write… something, anything. It was a plus that she hadn't started drooling and squealing too.

"Um, excuse me?" he heard the waitress say.

Yuu immediately jumped in with a quiver in his voice. "Oh, don't mind Mochu. He says that to every girl he sees!" Yuu spluttered before shaking his head, "Not that I don't think you're hot—_no, no_, that's not what I meant… you see—"

"It's okay," her name tag said Mikan Sakura. "What would you like to order?"

Before the rest of his band could make a fool of themselves, Natsume turned to the waitress and said, "A cappuncino for me."

"Will that be all?" Mikan Sakura asked without looking up.

"I'd like another serving of cheesecake and Mikan Sakura on the sid—ow!"

The girl grimaced before telling them she'd be back with their orders and all but stomped her way back to the kitchen. Ruka inhaled shakily before Mochu whined, "Yuu, stop hitting me! You _know _she's hot too!" He fixed him mouth before mimicking, "Not that I don't think you're hot—no, no, that's not what I meant… you see, you're just beautiful—ow!"

"I did not say that," Yuu protested, though the heat on his cheeks could've given him away. "She was just… different," Yuu turned up his chin. "Nothing to flail about. Right Natsume?"

Instead of replying, Natsume turned to the blond beside him. "You like her?" Natsume asked Ruka with an eyebrow raised in question.

His best friend merely shrugged and played with one of the sugar cubes. He shook his head. "How would I know I like her if I've only met her for two seconds? But she… I don't know why but when I saw her, she made me nervous." Natsume nodded, but the others didn't quite get that he'd nodded in agreement.

It was true, there was something about their waitress that was slightly unsettling.

"Here's your order. Would you like anything else?" The waitress was back and when she said her last line, she immediately glared at Mochu, who shrunk back in his seat. Nobody said a word so she bowed slightly, only out of obligation, and tried to be polite. "Call if you need anything," she said smoothly with a tiny smile on her face.

She turned away but turned back when Natsume called her back, grabbing her wrist reflexively. Nobody was as surprised as him. Natsume had done a lot of things as a reflex. He'd hit Mochu, stepped on cigarettes and kicked rocks without even thinking about it. He'd never grabbed a girl before.

He blamed it on Ruka.

The girl squealed when she landed roughly in his lap and shoved him away. It all happened so fast, Natsume couldn't begin to process what the heck just happened. One minute she was an arms length away and leaving. The next, her wrist was in his hand and her body pressed into his. Another still, she was on her butt, on the ground and his trousers were soaked through with cappuccino.

From behind him, Natsume could hear Mochu laughing.

He could feel the cold liquid seeping into his pants. He swore harshly, immediately glaring at the girl before him turning a light shade of red.

"Wh-what…" the waitress stuttered, "—what the heck did you think you were doing?!"

"What was _I _doing?" Natsume said in a deathly calm voice. "What were _you _doing? You think that you can just fake trip and accost me while I'm having coffee with my friends?"

He watched in utter amusement when he saw her eyes alight with utter fury. Her brown hair was almost crackling in its sloppy ponytail and her brown eyes were narrowed so tightly, he was surprised she hadn't combusted. He had to admit, however, that as much as she was pretty when she was impatient, she looked beautiful when she was angry.

He tried not to smirk when her cheeks reddened even further and she said in a low, dark voice, "Accost _you_? _You _were the one who tugged me into you! If anything, I should be the angry one! You have _some _nerve to accuse _me _of attacking you, you slimy, evil—"

"Mikan, calm down," the manager was holding her back by the shoulders and rubbing her arms. "What's going on here, gentlemen?"

"What does it look like!? She practically jumped on him and ended up dumping his whole drink onto his lap! Oh, Natsume-sama! The injustice!"

Mikan craned her neck trying to find the annoying feminine voice from across the room who was _lying _her brains out. Too bad her manager was still holding her by the shoulders and the more she struggled, the more he dug his nails into her arms. She tried to calm down.

"Is that true, Mikan?" He asked quietly.

"Of course it's not true! You know me better than that!" she said angrily, tearing herself away from his hands and crossing her arms, trying not to look at the stupid client who had the _gall _to accuse her of… of… attacking him! It was so insane, she almost wanted to laugh. "Do I _look _like the type to fall all over some pretty boy that lies between his teeth?"

"At least she admits you're pretty, Natsume," she heard from behind her.

Mikan whipped her head around and glared at the bald boy who started scratching the back of his head sheepishly at her glare. She caught the amused smirk on The Bastard's face and immediately wanted to _break _something.

"Okay, that's enough. Go get some towels, Mikan, and I'll deal with this." With one last glare, Mikan stormed back into the kitchen, ignoring her friend Miki's sympathetic stare. She grabbed a couple of hand towels and inhaled deeply, twice. She was on her way back out when she heard her manager speaking, "—for my employee's behavior. You will send your clothes over to the cleaners and send it to our tab. Would you like anything else? It's on the house…"

"No!" The word burst out of her indignantly. She burst through the doors and all but threw the towels at The Bastard's face. "That is _not _fair! I don't see why _you're _apologizing to him when he should be apologizing to _me! _I'm the one who was practically molested! Don't just let them walk all over—"

Mikan stopped short when she glimpsed the look on her manager's face. She clenched her fists to her sides when the manager ushered her back to the counter, telling Miki to get the five boys anything they wanted. His eyes were kind, if not apologetic. "Mikan, I'm sorry but this is the fourth time this has happened in the past few months and if word gets out you were at it again, things won't look good for us."

Mikan inhaled deeply, staring unrepentantly into his eyes. "So you're firing me?"

He sighed. "Firing makes it sound like I've never liked your work here, Mikan, and you know that's not true. You know that I feel for you and your situation, I really do. But you have to get control over that temper of yours. I'm letting you go for now, Mikan, but come back in a few weeks and if you can show me that you've worked on it, I'll be glad to take you back. You know we love having you here."

She tried to hate him, she really did, but the truth was, she understood. "I'll go get my things," she said roughly, before she fired one last glare at Natsume and his friends and stomped to the kitchen and into the back room.

And she couldn't help but think, once she'd gotten her clothes on and her guitar back in hand, that it was so unfair. _This _was why she hated working for dishonest people like them. She hated people in general because of people like them. They were so ugly. They may look pretty, but there was always such a bastard within.

And at the back of her mind, Mikan couldn't help but think that, she would have to nail the interview with the Music Stars scout because if not, she'd be broke and God knew she would never accept handouts from Hotaru and her friends.

-;-

"You got her fired," Mochu said with disbelief. "I can't believe you just got her fired, Natsume! That was _not _cool."

Yuu was tugging on his cuffs nervously. "I agree with Mochu, Natsume. Don't you think that was a little mean? What was the point in lying?"

"And why'd you pull her back to you anyway?" Ruka asked, "Don't you have this weird rule where you don't touch girls? Anybody for that matter? What were you thinking, Natsume?"

All four of his band mates shuddered when they saw the vicious smirk on his lips. "She bothered me."

"You got her fired because she bothered you?" Ruka said incredulously. "And _how _did she bother you? By doing her job well? Because she wasn't drooling over you this time? Because maybe, just maybe, she was one of the very few girls that's actually _cool_?"

"Misaki-senpai's one of the cool ones," Kitsuneme piped in thoughtfully, ignoring the elbow Mochu nudged him with.

"Shut up, you guys," Ruka grated irritably. "I'm trying to understand what the heck goes on in this guy's head because some poor girl got fired because of him and it just doesn't make _sense_."

"It doesn't have to make sense," Natsume said simply. "Tobita, what are we doing?"

Yuu sighed, "You _still _won't call me Yuu?"

* * *

_This is going to be a little different from how I originally wrote this story so I hope you like the change. _

_My Hopeless Romantic_


	3. Flying Away from Home

**Disclaimer:** All recognizable characters belong to Tachibana Higuchi. The rest is mine. :)

-;-

_Chapter 3. Flying Away from Home_

_-;-_

_-;-_

Hotaru knew there was something wrong the moment Mikan all but slammed the door to her room a full five hours earlier than she was supposed to. She was back early. Too early. She checked her watch one more time, noted that yes, Mikan was home five hours earlier than she was due and concluded she must have gotten fired.

_Oh Mikan…_

After much deliberation, Hotaru threw off the covers to her bed and stepped out of her room, knocking once on the guest room before opening the door completely. The sight that met her only seemed to reinforce her earlier thoughts. Her best friend was face down on the mattress making unintelligible noises into the pillow.

Hotaru perched onto the edge of the mattress and waited for Mikan to groan particularly loud into the pillow and lift her head from it for a few seconds in order to say, "I swear somebody is out there to get me."

Immediately afterwards, she stuffed her face into her pillow and proceeded to whine into the pillow. Hotaru sighed. "So you got fired from your job."

"Let go," Mikan grated irritably, flipping onto her back and glaring at the ceiling. "I was let go and it wasn't even my fault!"

Hotaru looked at her dubiously and Mikan glared at her when she saw it. "I swear it wasn't me this time! The stupid client practically molested me, I tried to get away, ended up spilling his drink onto his lap, and then _he _said _I _was the one who attacked _him_!"

"Was it a cold or a hot drink?"

Mikan scowled. "Cold."

Hotaru hummed and waited. Mikan, predictably, continued soon after. "It's just so unfair! I've been at the café for four years and he fired me because of some stupid client freaking out and ugh! Life is so unfair."

"Well," Hotaru started thoughtfully, "—if your interview is legitimate, then you won't have to worry about resigning from your job if you're going to make it to Tokyo anyway."

"But we don't even know if the creep who contacted me is a creep or like us," Mikan sighed, fingers digging into the comforter. "Who knows, if he's just playing a prank, I might be mad enough to tear his head off and feed it to Uncle Jinno."

Hotaru snorted and raised an eyebrow. "Well, if you really want to know, you'd call the scout's number, ask him a few questions and see if you can handle seeing him. If memory serves, you planned to see him today. You might as well prepare. Look at your songs, tune your guitar. Stop acting like a loser already and look forward. There's nothing you can do now that you're fired, and you know you can stay here until you're ready."

Mikan scowled, "You know I hate taking handouts from you."

"This isn't a handout, idiot. This is me wanting to take care of my best friend. I haven't seen you in years and I'm not going to ruin this visit by having you get all stupid on me."

Mikan huffed, threw her back onto the bed and sighed. "Hotaru?"

"What is it?"

"Thanks."

-;-

To say her nerves were at an all time high would be an understatement. Mikan felt like somebody was squeezing her intestines, she was so strung up and the more she waited in her booth at _Coffee Break_, where she'd agreed to meet him, the more anxious she became. This really could make or break her and Hotaru hadn't really helped.

"_I know you like acting like a badass, but try to be cordial, will you? Nobody wants to sign somebody who's a barbarian at heart."_

Apparently she reminded her best friend of a barbarian. That was always the most encouraging thing a girl could possibly hear before an interview.

"Mikan Sakura, am I right?"

Mikan looked up quickly, in time to see a man wearing a suit and tie and a handsome smile on his face. Mikan didn't know whether or not she liked it. To be honest, the smile made him seem a bit suspicious. He reached out a hand for her to shake, and after much deliberation, Mikan shook his hands, all the while wondering _where those hands have been. _

"Hello, you must be Narumi. Thank you for meeting me."

"Thank _you _for intriguing me," the man said with a smile, calling over the waitress and ordering his share. He raised an eyebrow. "And what would you like, Ms. Sakura?"

"This record deal," she said bluntly, then blushed when he laughed outright. "I'd like a coffee please, two creams two sugars."

When the waitress left, Narumi opened up his arms and smiled, "Well, where do we start? I suppose we should get right to it." He leaned forward and Mikan immediately glimpsed his enchanting violet eyes, "Your song yesterday was absolutely inspiring and your voice is just the talent we've been looking for. Our record company is just a branch from the renowned Alice Corporation and we've signed more than just vocalists, but actors, models and athletes too. Have you heard of Reo Mouri? Tsubasa Andou? Rui Amane?"

Mikan vaguely heard mentions of Reo and Rui. She told him this, adding, "I don't really watch much TV though, and what I do hear, I get from my friends."

Narumi's eyes twinkled. "All the better."

He reached out a hand and paused when she stiffened. Mikan wondered just what the heck he thought he was doing. "May I?"

"What?"

Narumi chuckled before dropping his hands. "Never mind. Look at me closely, Mikan."

She furrowed her brow but cleared her expression when he tutted at her and leaned closer to inspect her face. "Great complexion, though you have generic brown eyes and hair." He leaned back right when the waitress came back with their orders and took a sip of his tea. "You have a great face, Mikan. I can tell our company will want to use you for modeling as well, but I suppose you aren't much aware of your looks and will be sticking with music for a while, right?"

Mikan didn't know what the heck he just said. He seemed to realize this and continued, "Okay, well, our major concern is your music. You do realize that the music industry is not an easy one to maintain, Mikan. We've had big stars that have lasted years and others that have lasted no more than four months. It all depends on you. It depends on how much work you're willing to put in, it depends on your talent and it depends on how serious you are about music." He paused and looked at her seriously, "I can tell you now, that if you aren't serious about your music, you are not going to succeed in this business."

"I'm serious," she assured him, tightening her grip around her mug.

"Good." He smiled that huge, flowery smile of his once more. "So tell me, how do you feel about flying to Tokyo in a week?"

"Shouldn't we talk about contracts?" Mikan asked, raising an eyebrow when Narumi laughed out loud, wiping a tear from his eyes. "And I really don't see what's so funny about what I just said."

"It's not funny," he said bluntly, chuckling still, "—you're just a breath of fresh air, that's all. Mikan Sakura, I think I'm going to have a lot of fun working with you."

Mikan didn't know whether she should be afraid or suspicious.

The man merely smiled.

-;-

Mikan ended up taking the contract home, and after going over it with Hotaru, who seemed to suspect some clauses in the contract, Mikan signed her name and sent the contract back to Narumi, who called and told her they expected her in Tokyo within a week or two. Mikan wanted to get out of Nagoya as soon as possible.

"You're going to miss this place once you're in Tokyo," Hotaru told her bluntly, watching as Mikan checked her bags for everything she had. To be honest, she didn't have very much aside from some clothes, her composition books and her guitar. She hadn't been able to afford much other than the necessities.

"I know," Mikan smiled over her shoulder, making sure she had her photo album in her bag. "It's just… I've been waiting for a chance like this for years. And ever since my mom left me and my dad's been gone, I haven't seen the point in staying in Nagoya for a while, especially since you were in Tokyo. You're my best friend, Hotaru, as long as I know you're coming with me, I'm anxious for this new start. I've been… I've been waiting for a new start for a long time."

"And Yome?" Hotaru said after a pause. "What about him?"

Mikan seemed to think about this before sitting on the guest bed and leaning on her palms. "I'm telling him, of course. I know he's going to be happy for me and if I become successful there in Tokyo, I definitely want him to come down and visit. I… I have Koko to thank for a lot of things."

"Well, you can get your passport picture taken and my parents will get it ready for you in three days, at the latest. Usually it takes more than two weeks," Hotaru said, seeing Mikan's face light up. "So you'd better appreciate this, idiot."

"As long as you're coming with me."

Sometimes, Hotaru wondered how her best friend, seemingly so badass, could act like such a sap. She wandered into the living room to ask her parents to make a few arrangements. She had a plane to catch in a few days, after all.

-;-

It was five in the morning when Hotaru knocked on her doorframe, told her irritably to get her ass up, and then disappeared into her own room to get out of her pajamas. Their bags had been brought down the day before and Mikan's passport had arrived the night before.

She'd grimaced at her picture, but soon got over it when Hotaru told her to make sure she had all of her things because they would _not _be coming back to Nagoya for a while. She'd brightened considerably and had all but flounced back into her room to check her bags.

They were waiting at the airport soon after, leaning over the railing of the food court after they'd dropped their bags off on the conveyor belt used to load them into the plane. Mikan was still half asleep on the railing when Hotaru nudged her in the ribs and said, "Come get some food. You're not going to like the plane food. Trust me."

Like an android, Mikan dragged her guitar case with her and fell down into her seat, mumbling that she wanted something with eggs. _Mhm, eggs…_

She thought she heard Hotaru mutter, "I am _not _coming to be your mother, stupid. Get your own food."

They were halfway through their meals when the mellow atmosphere was split by a series of harsh, high pitched screams. At first, Mikan was concerned. Then, after she'd come to her feet and scanned her floor, Hotaru pointed to the crowd of girls converged by some corner of the airport and Mikan had all but slammed her head against the table in her annoyance.

"I can't stand this," Mikan whined between her arms. "Hotaru, it's too early!"

"Let's get out of here. I didn't come here to become deaf before hearing your first single." Mikan hastily nodded before dragging her guitar behind her and stuffing the rest of her muffin into her mouth.

"How long until our flight, Hotaru?"

Without even checking her watch, she replied, "We still have another ten minutes or so. Let's just get on the plane. I swear I'm going to kill the person closest to me if I hear those girls scream again."

Mikan, barely coherent, muttered, "Please don't."

"_**P**__**assengers headed for Tokyo, Japan, please start filing towards the right passageway. Passageway C-39. Again, passengers headed for Tokyo, Japan, please start heading towards passageway C-39. Your plane will be taking off in 10 minutes. Thank you."**_

"Well," Mikan said, looking up at the ceiling from where she heard the voice, "—there you go. Saved by the creepy female voice on the intercom."

Hotaru snorted, then lifted her canvas bag onto her shoulder and headed out towards their terminal. They got their bags scanned, then their tickets, before heading into the plane where the flight attendant looked at their tickets and told them where to head.

Mikan and Hotaru practically collapsed into their seats, Hotaru shoving herself to the window seat, leaving an empty seat next to Mikan. She hoped, internally, that she wouldn't have some creepy person sitting beside her. Hoping to stop anybody from talking to her, more specifically, the person who had the seat beside her, Mikan took out her mP3 and stuck her ear buds into her ears. The sound of rock music blared through the earphones and muffled the remaining sound of screaming girls.

She closed her eyes immediately when she felt something warm brush her sleeve. She shifted over and away from the new arrival, hoping against hope that he didn't try to make conversation.

"Hello there."

_Damn._

Mikan turned, pulling out her earphones. "Listen, I really don't—" she stopped mid-sentence when she glimpsed blond hair and gentle blue eyes. _He's cute, _was her first thought, especially when she saw the dimples in his cheeks when he smiled kindly.

"Listen, I don't want to talk to you, ok? The last thing I want to do is waste time talking to some guy I don't even know and won't know after this." With that said, she nodded once, put her earphones back in and turned to look out the window, ignoring Hotaru's curious stare. Mikan merely shrugged. "It's nothing."

She felt a small tap at her shoulder and sighed quietly.

When she turned around, the boy looked more determined. "But we do know each other," he said immediately, once he'd gotten her attention. "Don't you remember?"

She looked him over and shook her head. "I'm sorry, no."

"We saw you the other day, at the café," he said hesitantly. "My um… my friend may have gotten you fired."

"You?" Mikan said incredulously. Without thinking, she took him by the chin and looked at him closely. "Now that I think about it, you _do _look familiar. But you're not the one that got me fired, so I guess I don't really care. Hi, I'm Mikan."

The boy was blushing, or at least reddening alarmingly fast and it was only then that Mikan realized she still had a hold on his chin. She let him go quickly with a cough. "I'm Ruka. Ruka Nogi."

Mikan felt Hotaru move from her elbow before her best friend asked, "Ruka Nogi? As in the Nogi from Black Ashes?" Mikan turned to face her best friend, who had a wicked smile on her face. "How interesting."

"What do you mean by that?" Ruka asked curiously, leaning over a bit to look at her.

"I know about your band, Nogi," Hotaru said simply, turning to look at Mikan. "So if my instincts are correct, Hyuuga was probably the one that got her fired, huh?"

Mikan's eyes alighted onto Ruka's face with an almost manic gleam. Ruka swallowed before replying with the affirmative. Mikan almost jumped out of her seat. "That means The Bastard's in here, huh?" She said excitedly. "I still have to give him a piece of my mind!"

Ruka laughed nervously before tugging a bit at her sleeve to get her to sit down. "Well, he's sitting on the other side of the plane because there was a mix up with our tickets but if you want to get to him so badly, how about I schedule a lunch between the seven of us? It's the least I can do for getting you fired," Ruka said genuinely. "Which I'm really sorry about, by the way. Natsume's not usually like that. He's actually pretty decent. I don't know what came over him."

"You don't have to apologize for him, Nogi," Mikan sniffed. "It's not _your _fault he's a crazy jerk."

Trying to change the subject, Ruka asked hurriedly, "So what are you going to Tokyo for? Did you plan this before the uh… incident, or was this all on a whim?"

Mikan's eyes brightened. "I got signed onto Music Stars' record company," she said proudly, throwing out her chin. "Which reminds me, Hotaru said you were a part of a band. What record company?"

"Black Ops."

Mikan had never heard of them, but Hotaru's hum told her the inventor knew a thing or two. She turned to her and raised an eyebrow to which Hotaru merely shrugged. "It looks like the both of you are from rivaling companies. Bad form, Mikan. Already you're fraternizing with the enemy."

Mikan snorted, "I can't believe you actually just said that, Hotaru. And you don't actually care about that."

"No," she conceded, "—but who knows? Alice Corp. and Anti-Alice Corp. aren't exactly on good terms, as you can tell by their names."

"It's true," Ruka said from her other side, "I'm sorry, Mikan, but we can't be friends after this. That lunch I scheduled with you and your friend? That's no longer possible. I'm sorry." Then he promptly turned away.

Mikan looked at him, flabbergasted. "Are you _serious_?"

Ruka chuckled first before Hotaru all but snorted. Mikan's eyebrow twitched. "You guys are _so _funny. You know what? You two are made for each other. Go ahead and tease me. See if I care." Ruka made a sound of denial before Mikan turned her head and smiled, showing him she wasn't at all serious. Ruka smiled back.

"You have a very nice smile."

Almost immediately, Mikan tried to get it off her face. She hated compliments like that. She never quite knew what she was supposed to do afterwards. Instead, like the awkward person she was, Mikan looked down into her lap and cleared her throat. "Thanks."

The plane soon started to descend, slowly but surely and the pilot came onto the intercom.

"_**Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. I'd like to advise you to fasten your seatbelts because the plane will be landing shortly. I repeat, please fasten your seatbelts, the plane will be landing in Tokyo, Japan shortly. Thank you for flying with Japan Airlines. Have a nice day, thank you."**_

The plane landed soon after and Mikan all but jumped from her seat to get to the compartment above her head to get her guitar. The whole plane was abuzz with movement and chatter and Mikan looked around warily, waiting for Hotaru to get her canvas bag. Ruka seemed to be blocking her way, however and with a quick apology, Ruka grabbed her bag and handed it to her shyly. "Sorry again. Sometimes I don't realize I'm in somebody's way and well, I'm talking too much. I'd love to have that lunch we were talking about earlier."

Hotaru looked at him blankly and checked her phone. "I'll schedule it with you," she said, grabbing Mikan's arm and moving her towards the front of the plane. "Let's go."

Mikan was just about to laugh when Ruka shouted, "I haven't given you my number!" but another voice made her stop in her tracks.

It was a deep, male voice that she wasn't going to be forgetting any time soon. "Ruka. The pilot's letting us get out first so we don't have to deal with the hassle. Let's get out of here."

"Okay, Natsume."

It only took Mikan a second to lay eyes on him and his dark red eyes before she was practically hissing at him in fury. "You!"

The boy turned languidly with the grace of a snake and his expression was blank. He looked at her, not really looking before he murmured, "Do I know you?"

_The nerve! _

Mikan had half a mind to punch him in the gut. Ruka shuffled in between them. "Natsume, this is the girl you got _fired _from her job. Play nice. Mikan's nice and I'd rather we don't get into this in front of random girls and probable journalists."

Natsume merely smirked at her, approached and said, "If I get you off this plane without girls screaming in your ear, will we be even?"

"Not even close."

Natsume pulled back and chuckled. "What a shame. Let's go Ruka."

The flight attendants helped him out of the plane and Ruka, looking back apologetically, rushed back and grabbed Mikan by the wrist, nodding at Hotaru. "You guys are coming with us. Let's get out of here before the crowd swarms on us."

"You don't have to do that," Mikan sniffed disdainfully. "I can't stand that friend of yours, by the way."

Ruka flashed her a quick smile. "It's the least I can do. Come on."

-;-

By the time they got out of the plane with their bags at the terminal, Ruka and Black Ashes were surrounded by journalists and fans and Mikan, after waiting a good three minutes, yelled to Ruka telling him they were going to go on ahead and Hotaru and she'd made a quick getaway. It wasn't as though they had any obligation to the boy. So he got them out of the plane earlier than the others, big deal.

It was nothing to flail about.

The bright lights of the city weighed down on them as they got into a taxi and headed to the hotel Alice Corp. had issued for them. Mikan watched everything through new eyes, marveling at the sheer magnitude of the place. Already, it was making her belly fill with excitement. There were so many things she wanted to do here. Now she was finally given the chance. She couldn't wait.

They walked into Tokyo Plaza, grabbing their separate room keys and stepping into the elevator. Everything seemed to be so fancy, it was making Mikan's head spin. She'd never been to a hotel before, much less a fancy one like this. To think, five days ago she was living in a small wooden house in the forest.

It was surreal.

Her mind was fuzzy when she opened the door and she knew the room was glamorous, despite not really seeing anything but the large picture window that looked out onto the city flashing with lights. The zipping of cars rushing past on the streets below was mesmerizing and she stopped to watch it for a while, putting a hand to the window, wondering at how lucky she felt.

It was perfect.

Mikan felt Hotaru walking up to stand beside her. "It's beautiful, huh, Hotaru?"

Hotaru merely hummed, letting Mikan take her hand. After a moment, Hotaru looked out from the corner of her eyes and muttered, "Mikan."

"Yeah, Hotaru?"

"You're meeting with your manager tomorrow, you understand. You should get ready for bed. You're in for a long day tomorrow."

"I wish you were my manager," she said softly, yawning. Obediently, she climbed into bed and almost immediately fell asleep.

Hotaru merely shook her head.

_That idiot._

* * *

_Review button?_

_My Hopeless Romantic_


	4. Getting the LowDown

**Disclaimer:** All recognizable characters belong to Tachibana Higuchi. The rest is mine. :)

-;-

_Chapter 4. Getting the Low-Down_

_-;-_

_-;-_

"Mikan, get up."

Mikan gurgled into her pillow and groaned, burrowing deeper into the bed and fumbling for the bed sheets that were currently splayed by her feet, leaving her body completely open to the cold elements of the room. Little did she know, Hotaru had fisted the blanket from her reach and was currently tapping her foot with impatience.

"Look at you. This is your big break and you're being lazy about it."

With a soft sigh, Mikan arched her back and fell onto her back, rubbing at her eyes with a frown on her face. "Good morning to you too, Manager Imai. Could you put some toast onto the side with that big fat serving of Guilt?"

Hotaru rolled her eyes. "You're going to thank me for this later," she sniffed, telling her, once again, to get her ass out of bed and into the kitchen. "And I'm not your manager. I'd probably kill myself being your manager. I only have another week of my break before I have to head back to classes so I can't baby you for the rest of this week. There are things I have to read and people I have to meet with."

"I was just kidding," Mikan mumbled, yawning. "But you're coming with me today, right? We're meeting the guy that's in charge of Alice Corp. today, I think and well, I need you to help me not say something completely stupid. You know me."

"Yeah, I do, and you're going to have to learn how to _not _make yourself look stupid. I can't be standing at your elbow every time just to stop you from doing something stupid. I'm not your mother, nor am I your chaperone."

"No," Mikan smiled sweetly, getting up and heading into the kitchen to throw a scone into her mouth. "But you _are _my best friend. Don't worry, Hotaru. I'll nail this. I'm not _that _hopeless!"

Hotaru merely shook her head. "You have to get out of her in fifteen minutes and you haven't even brushed your teeth."

"It takes, what? Five minutes to brush my teeth? And I don't even have to change. These clothes are fine." She was talking about the same clothes she'd been wearing for the past two days, jeans and a T with her leather jacket draped over the kitchen chair. She smiled lazily when Hotaru's eyes twitched.

"So much for making a good impression," Hotaru said tonelessly, rolling her eyes. "I'd lend you something to wear but I'm smaller than you are and you don't really go for my stuff. I'll get you some clothes today while you're talking to them."

"But you said you were going to come in with me!"

"And _you _said you'd be fine by yourself. Look, I'll be there for like… five minutes but when I see that things are going fine, I'm leaving. I'm not your manager. That Narumi guy is and you said he didn't seem like a creep so you're fine. Just keep your head up. You're here now, aren't you? That must mean something. You were given this chance to do something great, not to mess up. Keep that in mind."

Mikan huffed, then sighed before nodding her head numbly. "I'll try."

-;-

By the time they got out of their rooms, there was a car waiting out front to pick them up, which Hotaru really liked, and they were headed to their first destination of the day, which was _Music_ _Stars_ to meet up with Narumi, Mikan's manager.

"How do you even _know _this?" Mikan asked incredulously, when Hotaru had told her.

"Because while you were drooling all over your pillow, there was a phone call to your room that woke me up and some fax arrived soon after. I took the liberty of reading it and preparing you," Hotaru said blandly, taking a bite of her scone and scrolling down her phone.

Mikan's jaw slackened. "See, this is why I want you to be my manager! You know me so well and I really don't know what I'd do without you! You're perfect for the job!"

"Be that as it may, you're going to have to learn how to take responsibility. Now first things first, this is your schedule," Hotaru said, handing her the memo she'd drawn up. "Memorize it. That's step one. You should always have an idea of what you're doing. Be prepared. The worst thing that can happen is if you're caught off guard."

"We have to meet with a lot of people."

"You, not we."

Mikan snorted, looking over at her best friend. Really, sometimes Hotaru was such a perfectionist.

They arrived in front of a skyscraper building with _Music Stars _imprinted on the front in large royal blue letters. Mikan marveled at the building, mentally comparing it to the buildings in Nagoya that were probably a fifth of how big this building was. It was incredible. She could feel her skin prickling with anxiety.

It was almost eerie. The moment they'd thrown the doors open to the building, all of the employees in the vicinity had turned around, eyed them for all of three seconds, before they'd resumed their practices.

Mikan snorted when Hotaru murmured, "Stupid busybodies."

Taking charge, Hotaru walked up to the receptionist with Mikan trailing behind. By the time the receptionist bid farewell to the teenage boy in front of them, Hotaru was already firing off questions and queries enough to make the receptionist's head spin. "Wait a moment," the receptionist held up a hand, shaking her head. "Could you repeat that again and speak a little slower? I couldn't follow."

"I'm not surprised," Hotaru deadpanned irritably. "We're here to meet with Mr. Narumi, the talent scout."

The woman seemed to look alarmed, looking from one girl to the other before she went to her computer and asked, "Are you his ten o'clock appointment then? Mikan Sakura?"

"That's me," Mikan stepped forward.

The receptionist eyed her dubiously before she cleared her throat. "Well, right then. I'll send a page boy to send you on your way. You're a bit early. He was expecting you later but I'm sure he's fine with you waiting by his office."

As if materializing out of nowhere, a boy with black hair and startling green eyes appeared behind the receptionist and smiled warmly, "Hey, I'll take the both of them. Nendo is busy at the moment anyway." Without waiting for the receptionist to respond, he stepped out from behind the desk and smiled once more, "Hi, I'm Yuuki Ogi. I'll go on ahead and take you to where you'd like to go."

Mikan and Hotaru exchanged curious glances before following him, leaving at least a meter between. There was silence for all of ten seconds before he turned around and started walking backwards. "So you're Mikan Sakura," he said, not really asking. "We've been hearing things about you."

"Bad things I hope." Mikan kept her expression neutral, scrutinizing the kind smile on his face and the words coming out of his mouth. He didn't _look _like he was a creep. Especially with that laugh of his.

"Oh no, nothing bad. It's just…" he paused thoughtfully, jabbed at one of the elevator buttons and leaned against the wall, "… Mr. Narumi has always had a thing for signing on really, really prosperous singers and well, the last singer he signed was five years ago and it was Reo Mouri, as in _the _Reo Mouri." He shrugged his shoulders and stepped inside the elevator with another one of his dazzling smiles. "Needless to say, there's a lot of speculation about you. Mr. Narumi may be just some representative from Alice Corp. but his decisions are final. He doesn't even have to go to the President to ask about his potential clients, like you. The President gives him free reign to do whatever the hell he wants. It's really awe-inspiring, actually."

Mikan didn't believe it. "He didn't look that special," she said honestly, tugging her guitar over her shoulder and eyeing the boy leading them into the elevator. "He smiled a lot, if you call that weird, but other than that, he didn't look all that."

"Really?" Yuuki looked surprised. "He wasn't wearing his purple, velvet suits or Shakespearean hats?" At Mikan's head shake, Yuuki looked up at the ceiling in thought. "Huh, that's out of the ordinary. Well," he smiled, getting out of the elevator and leading them down a hall, "We'll see what happens in a few days. I'll see you two later."

Then he knocked on the door, bowed inside before he ushered them in and left.

"Come on in girls."

Mikan finally understood what Yuuki was saying when she entered Narumi's office and found him in a costume very reminiscent of Peter Pan with a slight twist with the Hook. He was wearing a green outfit with a fitted black leather belt, a hat with a plume in its sleeve and a hook where his left hand should've been. To say Hotaru and she stopped right at the entrance and stared at him would've been an understatement.

Hotaru looked disgusted whereas Mikan just looked horrified.

Narumi didn't seem perturbed in the least. "Don't just stand in the doorway, ladies! Come in, come in! We've got a lot of things to talk about."

Hotaru stepped in first. "And many things to explain."

Narumi grinned, "There's definitely that. I imagine you're very curious about my attire for the day."

"Not curious about it," Mikan said uncertainly, eyeing his clothes and frowning. "More curious about _why _you're wearing them."

"Well you see, I would've worn it the day I met you, but a colleague of mine said I usually give off the impression that I'm a crazy fool when I'm wearing my theatrical clothes and, not wanting to scare you off or something of the same caliber, I decided it'd be best to come in the generic suit and tie." He stood up and twirled once, throwing out his arms expectantly. "Well? What do you think?"

Mikan didn't say a word, restraining herself from saying something that would ruin her chances of succeeding in the music business. Instead, she looked at Hotaru who merely muttered, "Sometimes, generic is best."

Narumi merely laughed. "Sit down, the both of you, and let's talk business." Once they'd seated, Narumi folded his hands together and placed them on the table. "Now, let's talk about the contract. I'm sure you've looked it over very carefully before signing it, so you know the nature of our circumstances. Alice Corp. is a very prosperous company, if you will, and almost every person signed onto our label gets the full effect of tabloid and popularity before you've even hit the stage. What you have to do, Mikan, is keep yourself there. Go out and far beyond, keep the public interested. Though, in my opinion, I don't see that being a big problem. You're a very mysterious girl."

Hotaru snorted.

"I spoke to you about this before," Narumi continued, bright purple eyes glowing, "—about success being on the work and the passion and the drive the singer has for what he or she does. I believe you have that passion, Mikan. Now how hard are you willing to work for this?"

"I'm ready for anything you people throw at me."

Narumi grinned, "Now _that's _what I like to hear. I'm not going to make it easy for you, you know," Narumi said seriously. "You aren't going to have as many breaks as you'd like, there are certain things you must understand about this business, and then, we'll talk about your music and what you want to do after you've gotten out."

Mikan narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean, _there are certain things _I need to know? We can start with that."

Narumi put a finger to his lips thoughtfully, "Well, let me put it this way, for some reason, many people think the industry is a place of rainbows and butterflies, of perfection and honesty and all things sweet but in reality, there are many facets behind this place that isn't exactly as sweet. For instance, have you heard about Hoshio Hoshino and Sumire Shouda?"

Mikan looked at him blankly, but Hotaru spoke up, "Hoshino is a tennis player Alice Corp. recently signed onto their athletic department and Sumire Shouda is the infamous actress that stars in that latest blockbuster, _Seventh Time's the Charm_. She's been in several movies since she was signed on two years ago. The both of them have been dating for months now."

"Oh, I think Umenomiya's talked about those two and how… sweet they are," Mikan shrugged, putting her arm loosely around her guitar. "I've never been really interested in all of that though," she said honestly.

"And that's fine," Narumi reassured with a smile. "But here's the thing, their dating? It's a publicity stunt. Hoshino hasn't been doing too well up against the athletes on AA Corp's side and as a means to boost up his popularity, he was arranged to date Sumire before _her _opening of _Seventh Time's the Charm _where she's in the process of dating a tennis player. Do you see where I'm going with this?"

Mikan raised an eyebrow at him. "So you're telling me that in order to keep the public interested, you guys play around with people's lives, lie and fool around, in order to make money?"

"In just a few words, yes."

Mikan leaned back in her seat. "I hope you know that I refuse to do any of that. I'm just putting that out there, here and now."

"And I respect that," Narumi said seriously, "—but that's just the thing. The President will want to do something like that, who knows what will cross his mind and Mikan, you're going to have to stay strong in your stance. We don't _make _our stars do anything they want to do, but companies like ours have a way of… persuading people otherwise. I hope you can stand up to all of it."

"You don't have to hope, because I promise you now, I'll have no problem keeping to my word."

Narumi looked at her, and after a moment, he smiled fondly. "That's good to know. Now, on to present matters. I understand that you've written some of your own work, how do you feel about singing songs others have written?"

Mikan tried not to wrinkle her nose. "I think I'm fine with just singing my own songs. Singing someone else's songs sounds wrong."

Narumi nodded, noted something in a file and fired off another question. "And if you were to run out of songs, would you consider it then?"

"I don't think I'll have that problem," Mikan said seriously. "At the moment, I have so many songs written, I've lost track and with this city," she paused, hesitant, before continuing when he urged her, "With this city, I doubt I'll find myself losing inspiration."

"Okay, that will be up for deliberation," he marked something in the file, "And what do you think of collaborations with other singers? With movies? With commercials and signings and appearances? What do you think about travel?"

Mikan frowned and looked over to Hotaru, who merely shrugged. With a pleading look to her eye, Mikan nudged Hotaru, who sighed and answered, "I doubt she'll have any problems collaborating with other artists, as long as they don't get on her nerves. She has a short temper and tends to… be a bit difficult at times. As for movies, she's never acted before and I can't picture her doing very well unless she's acting like herself. Commercials are out, but signings and appearances at other places should be fine."

"And travel," Narumi looked up from his file, where he'd been jotting down notes, "How does she feel about travel?"

Mikan shrugged, "I'm fine with travel, as long as I get to stay in Tokyo for a while yet. I don't want to have to contemplate travel for a while."

"That's very sensible of you. And very understandable," Narumi closed his file and leaned back in his seat. "Okay, now that we've gotten the basics down, we'll start by talking about your schedule. As I've told you before, things will be _very _hectic. You'll be waking early mornings in order to take advantage of the recording studios within _Music Stars _since the other more preferable slots have already been taken. You'll work long hours, will be going over your songs with me, the recording guru and a few friends that'll put their two cents into your songs, and there won't be much room for anything else, other than eating, sleeping and singing until your first single and record come out."

He waited for a reaction, any reaction from her.

Mikan merely shrugged. "To be honest," she started, "I'm very excited."

Narumi smiled.

-;-

"This cannot be good," Kitsuneme murmured quietly to Mochu, who was sitting on his right. "You know he's really pissed off when he goes smoking on the balcony or when he's clenching his jaw real tight, so when he's smoking _and _clenching his jaw, he's downright _furious_. I _told _you not to fool around!"

"Me fool around?" Mochu exclaimed indignantly. "_You _were the one that started getting bored and broke out into a solo _right _in the middle of recording!"

"Well _you _were the one that started making that racket with your drums! I mean, "ohhh, it's so cool!" It's not like a monkey can't play the drums!" Kitsuneme argued. "The guitar on the other hand takes _real _skill. I mean, _years _go into learning whereas—"

"Could you girls just shut up?"

The two immediately quieted and slumped in their seats. Ruka looked out at the balcony nervously. "Natsume, come back inside. We'll start again from the top and we'll be fine. We just needed a break, that's all."

Natsume didn't turn, nor did he look away from the view atop the city. "Tobita, when's our next album scheduled to be released?"

Yuu didn't even bother to ask him to address him by his first name. He didn't bother looking into his agenda either, because for the past three days, the same thing had been happening over and over and over again. They'd all be playing seriously, Natsume especially, then either Mochu or Kitsuneme would mess up and do their own thing and Natsume would fly off the handle. The answer was still the same. "In roughly four months."

"And how many of the nineteen songs have we successfully recorded?" Natsume deadpanned roughly, in his low voice.

Yuu swallowed, "Nine."

"Nine," Natsume repeated roughly, furious undertones in his voice. "We've recorded only _half _of the songs we're supposed to record in the past seven months because _some _of us can't seem to concentrate for a few hours."

"Natsume…" Ruka started, "We're trying. It was just a mistake."

Natsume turned around and both Kitsuneme and Mochu flinched at the look on his face. He was expressionless, which only made it worse when his darkening aura was taken into account. "You've said that for the past three days, Ruka, and it's not like I'm blaming you. You're good. These two dolts," Natsume pointed at the others, "—are the ones that keep fucking up." Kitsuneme looked like he wanted to argue, but Natsume merely glared at him. "And you're doing it on purpose."

The two kept silent until Natsume exhaled roughly, crushed his cigarette on the balcony's railing and threw it over the side. "We're calling it a night and we're taking the day off tomorrow. When we come back in two days, we _will _be recording at least two songs and if somebody fucks up this time, we're canceling this record and waiting another."

Yuu started to protest, but opted to just shake his head. "You're right. At this rate, we're going to end up putting half-baked song records onto the album and Black Ashes has always been known for the best."

"Exactly," Natsume said roughly, practically throwing his guitar back into its case and throwing the strap over his shoulder. "Get some rest. We'll pick this up in two days."

Kitsuneme and Mochu muttered their agreements and Natsume left the room.

Ruka followed soon after.

Though he didn't stop outright, Ruka knew Natsume was slowing his steps in order for him to catch up. The thought brought a grin to his lips. "You know they're just strung up, right? They're always like this right before our album is scheduled to be released. They're just as hard on themselves as you are."

"That's what the trip to Nagoya was supposed to do. It was supposed to get them to relax so that we'd get over their annual nerves but they're so _annoying_. It's like they can never play right when it counts," Natsume muttered lowly. "You're good, Ruka. Your singing is always great, so why can't they be the same?"

Ruka shrugged. "It's not like singing is much of a chore. I don't play anything, remember? The only thing I have to remember is the words to the song whereas everybody else has to remember their keys and their notes _and _their parts in the lyrics. It's not easy being a guitarist like Kitsuneme."

Natsume looked at him from the side and shrugged. "I do it fine."

"Well, not everyone can be as talented as Natsume Hyuuga."

Natsume snorted and stopped at Ruka's car, waiting for him to pop the lock and let him in. It had always irked him to no end when Ruka managed to get his license before him. At the moment, Ruka had gotten his car license for two months now. It'd be another six months before Natsume could get his.

He did have a motorcycle though, but when he had his guitar with him, it was out of the question to ride his motorcycle with a guitar strapped to his back. Ruka, looking up from over the top of the car, eyed his best friend and quirked a brow. "Do you wanna drive?"

That lifted his spirits considerably. "Hell yes."

-;-

Being the lead singer of Black Ashes had its ups and its downs.

Ruka knew things were going to be tough when Natsume had first proposed the idea to him and at the time, all he could really focus on was the fact that Natsume had been pretty excited about the idea of making a band. He'd always been a very talented bassist. To be honest, Natsume was good at everything: base, guitar, piano and even singing.

But Natsume had insisted Ruka be the lead singer and the others, including him, would be backing vocals. It wasn't like Ruka could refuse. He couldn't play any instruments and the only thing he was decent at was singing. Natsume had once told him he had a really good pitch.

Ruka didn't know what the hell that meant, but Natsume got him to invest in singing lessons and very soon, the band was established. Natsume couldn't have been happier and to be honest, Ruka really only did it because it made him happy.

But it was that time of year again when all of the artists in Japan started releasing their new singles and with Black Ashes coming in second after some band from Alice Corp, there was a lot of work to be done. Natsume refused to be second again.

That and Persona had seen their position on the charts and he hadn't been too pleased. Natsume was the leader of the group and he was the one that got the shit for it. Ruka, to be honest, felt kind of bad for it. Natsume had other things to worry about, like his sister Aoi being—

"Well if it isn't Ruka Nogi."

Ruka tried not to flinch at the female voice. Being an artist and part of a band _and _the lead vocalist, he had his fair share of fans and like Natsume, sometimes they came up at the wrong time. He loved his fans, don't get him wrong, it was just that sometimes, he had more things to worry about than running from the more rabid ones.

"Look, I'm sorry but—"

"I'm not a fan."

He looked up and immediately recognized Mikan's friend, Hotaru. "Oh," he smiled widely, making room on the sidewalk for the girl, "—I'd say it was a surprise to see you here, but to be honest, it's not." He grinned at her emotionless expression. "This is entertainment street. Recording companies, gyms, stadiums, movie sets, everything is around here. I wouldn't be surprised if you lived not far from here."

She didn't take a seat next to him, but opted to cross her arms over her chest and look out onto the streets. "Mikan and I live a block from here," she replied, looking down at him after a second. "I suppose you live in this hotel."

Ruka looked behind him at the Golden Starlet Hotel and grinned. "Yeah, Natsume and I live here whereas Kitsuneme, Mochu and Yuu live at the Tokyo Plaza. Natsume couldn't stand Tokyo Plaza with Mochu and Kitsuneme and Yuu couldn't just leave them there by themselves so we just moved over here and it's been good." He smiled at Hotaru. "So, how's Tokyo?"

"Normal," she replied, "—my normal. I'm a Tech. student at Alice U." At his expectant stare, Hotaru sighed and looked at her watch. "Look, I can't talk right now. Mikan's back at the hotel and she knows nobody else here in Tokyo."

"Then how about we lunch?" Ruka proposed. "Say, tomorrow at one. I'll bring Natsume and the boys, you can bring Mikan. It'll be fun."

He hoped he looked friendly because judging from the look on her face, both unimpressed and neutral, he wasn't quite sure. He never had this problem with a girl before. Usually they smiled back, maybe even asked for his autograph. To be honest, Ruka was out of his element… and he thought he might like it.

"Don't you have something better to do?" she asked dubiously, waving out to a taxi at the curb. "Because I know Mikan meets with the President of Alice Corp and starts talking to producers tomorrow. I don't know how much time she has for lunch."

"Then why don't you just make it you, then? You're not Mikan's manager, are you?"

She sent him a look that was clearly unimpressed. "I'm a Tech. student," she repeated, "—who's on her break right now. Really, Nogi. I don't see the point in speaking to you if you won't be listening."

Ruka merely grinned, stood up and flicked the button on his pen. He didn't hesitate when he grabbed her hand and wrote his number sloppily onto the back of her hand. "Well, if you're interested in lunch, just call. Black Ashes has a break all day tomorrow and we'd love the company."

She raised an eyebrow, to which Ruka shrugged. "Or maybe it's just me. Nevertheless, I'd appreciate the call."

With that, he opened the door to the cab with a smile and Hotaru climbed in, raising an eyebrow thoughtfully. He closed the door and waved once more before whistling back into the hotel.

_He might see Mikan tomorrow._

* * *

_My Hopeless Romantic_


	5. Being Tenacious Has Its Merits

**Disclaimer:** All recognizable characters belong to Tachibana Higuchi. The rest is mine. :) Happy reading guys!

-;-

_Chapter 5. Being Tenacious Has Its Merits  
_

_-;-_

_-;-_

Ruka was whistling.

Natsume knew something was wrong the moment he walked into the adjoining kitchen to make himself a pot of black coffee. It wasn't strange for the lead vocalist, but Ruka wasn't a morning person. His fans might think he was a sweet, all-loving type of guy but he was a real demon first thing in the morning… or whenever he woke up, basically. What was even weirder was to find him awake when the band had a day off.

Natsume could smell a rat.

"Natsume, hey!" Ruka grinned widely, setting the pot of coffee down when he saw him. "You're awake!"

"This is when I usually wake up," Natsume said suspiciously as he padded into the kitchen. "Why are _you _awake? Better yet, why are you in such a fucking fantastic mood so early in the morning?"

Ruka merely laughed and walked into the living room. Natsume poured himself a cup of coffee before he followed, blowing steam from the surface. "Seriously," Natsume said firmly. "What the fuck are you doing awake?"

Ruka held his cup with both hands and looked brightly out the window. "The birds are chirping and the sun is shining! Why would I want to waste a day like _this_?"

From the years knowing Ruka, Natsume had picked up a few hints about his moods and this one was one he had not seen in a long, _long _time. Knowing this, Natsume set his cup of coffee down and sat carefully in the loveseat in front of the television before scrutinizing his blue-eyed friend.

"So…" he said carefully, "Who's the girl?"

Ruka turned from the window with a grin. "I thought you'd never ask. It's—" he paused for effect and Natsume arched an eyebrow. "—Mikan Sakura."

Natsume blinked, slightly surprised. "You mean the coffee shop girl? What about her?"

"What _was _the coffee shop girl, you mean. You know, because you got her fired?" Ruka admonished lightly, not looking at all apologetic. "Which I should probably thank you for, by the way. If it wasn't for you, she probably wouldn't have come to Tokyo at all. It's funny how things like this work—It makes you question the workings of the universe." Ruka shook his head and sent him a deadpan expression. "Forget I said that. That sounded stupid. I forgot to mention… she's getting signed on to Music Stars."

"Alice Corp's Music Stars?" Natsume arched an eyebrow in disbelief. "Small world. You know you're fraternizing with the enemy, right? That's bad form. Persona would be pissed."

Ruka shot him a curious stare. "Funny, that's just what Mikan's friend said when I first met her." He shrugged, took another sip of his coffee before he turned back to the window. "I really don't care what Persona thinks. What's he going to do? Kill us? Besides it's not like anything has happened yet. I just want to get to know her. She seems like a really cool chick."

Natsume hated to think about it.

Ruka was too gentle, too naïve. The last girl he dated was a gold digging bimbo and the hurt Ruka suffered lasted years. He hadn't dated for almost three years since then. How could he immediately jump back into that scene because of a girl he met twice? Natsume couldn't begin to comprehend it. There was nothing special about Mikan Sakura other than the fact that she was a pretty girl and even then, Ruka and he saw girls far prettier. But that didn't matter, Ruka didn't care much about the way a girl looked.

How Ruka could see something he liked in Mikan Sakura in a mere two meetings would forever be incomprehensible to him.

Girls were an unnecessary burden. It was best to keep pleasure and emotional capabilities completely separate, Natsume thought.

"Don't think too hard about it, Natsume," Ruka said with a laugh. "You look like you're going to set your mug on fire."

Natsume looked up at Ruka cautiously. "Are you sure about this girl? She seems kind of a like a boar."

"A boar? You've barely said two words to her!" Ruka snickered and took a sip of his coffee. "Besides, I don't get why you seem to hate her so much. She didn't fall all over you and she didn't do anything to piss you off. You're the one who pissed _her _off by getting her fired." Natsume rolled his eyes at the reminder. "I know you don't like messing around with girls, but if she's not pushing herself into your business, I don't see why we all can't be friends. She seems really cool. I managed to survive an entire plane ride with her without killing myself. That has to say something, right?"

"Not really. You're the nice one in the band," Natsume said dryly. "You think a lot of people are nice."

"Not Luna," Ruka said immediately, grinning when Natsume immediately frowned. "She seems to enjoy making anyone and everyone suffer. A charmer, that girl," Ruka said wryly. "But that's not the point. I met up with Mikan's friend yesterday and asked her to bring Mikan along to have lunch. She didn't agree to it, but she won't be able to refuse." Ruka grinned and sat down on the sofa opposite Natsume. "You should come! You could keep Imai company while I talk to Mikan."

Natsume raised an incredulous eyebrow. "Are you asking me to be your _wingman_?"

"No," Ruka said with a sly, charismatic grin. "I'm asking you to be my best friend. There's a difference."

"They do the same thing," Natsume muttered sardonically, taking a large gulp of his caffeine. This was ridiculous. Natsume didn't know _how _to be a wingman and he didn't know how to talk to girls. How would this Imai person possibly manage to stop herself from drooling all over him? He wasn't modest. He knew what people thought about him, especially the girls, and he never met anybody that could possibly restrain themselves from throwing their bodies at him. He did _not _want to subject himself to the torture of distracting Sakura's friend so that Ruka could make a move.

The arched eyebrow made Ruka's blue eyes look almost hopeful…expectant.

Natsume tilted his head back with a sigh to look up at the ceiling. "I'm doing this because you're my best friend and because I want to make sure this girl isn't some complete loser that isn't worth your time. But if Imai jumps me, you're buying me a car."

"How about I let you drive my car any time you want until you get your license?" Ruka baited with a grin.

Natsume narrowed his eyes. "You let me drive already."

"Only when you're pissed off. I'm talking _any time you want to drive_." Ruka looked him head-on with a challenging glance. "Consequences be damned."

Natsume fought off a grin before he rolled his eyes. "Deal."

-;-

"I can't do it alone, Hotaru. Seriously. You know me! I'm going to end up making the company executive call the whole thing off because I'm like…the most impolite, most cynical, most boarish person in the world!"

Hotaru looked up from the morning newspaper and moved her eyes slowly toward the brunette lying dramatically on the couch. "Boarish?" She seemed contemplative, twisting the word around her lips. Then she nodded. "Yeah, that's about right. Nice word for somebody who doesn't pay attention in school."

"Hotaru!" Mikan propped herself up on her elbows and glared at the violet-eyed girl. "You're supposed to be comforting, see me in a distressed state and offer to come with me to this meeting to make sure I don't screw myself over! That's what a _real _best friend would do."

Hotaru sighed and levelled the brunette with a condescending glare that immediately made Mikan wince. "Look, stupid. How many times do I have to tell you, that's what your _manager _is supposed to do? I am not your manager and no, I will not agree to be your manager. Do I look like I have the patience to parade around with you to make sure you don't let some dirty profanity fall from your lips? I'm a Technology student. I don't _deal _with people. I deal with nuts and bolts and inventions that will cause a revolution. People are disgusting and I fail as much as you do in social situations."

Mikan pouted and pulled the hem of her skirt down. "I feel better when I'm with you."

"Be that as it may," Hotaru said, turning back to her paper, "—I can't always be with you all the time. I have to go back to school in a week so you're going to be living here alone. You're going to learn how to deal with some of these things yourself, ok? You can do it. You were made for this. Remember that incredibly traumatizing talent contest we did when we were little? The whole town basically fell in love with you there and at that time, your pitch was something awful."

"Gee thanks," Mikan murmured dryly, but a smile had graced her features.

"You'll kill it," Hotaru said without much enthusiasm, finally folding the newspaper and popping the rest of her muffin in her mouth. "Now hurry up or you're going to be late." At Mikan's hopeful expression, Hotaru rolled her eyes. "I'll come with you on the ride to drop you off, but you'll be on your own."

"Okay!" Mikan grinned, grabbing the leather jacket hanging off the back of her chair.

Hotaru rolled her eyes and grabbed the jacket before Mikan could put it on before thrusting the appropriate blazer to accompany the fitted pencil skirt she was wearing. "You have to look presentable to the company head. He doesn't care that it's not your usual apparel. You have to show that you respect him and his position enough to make an effort. Understand?"

A pout immediately fell on Mikan's lips but Hotaru merely turned away and started walking toward the door. "Two things you need to remember: don't say 'shit' or 'fuck' or 'hell' and try not to raise your voice unless you're singing."

"You're really starting to make me nervous," Mikan mumbled, trailing after her.

Hotaru sent her a sidelong glance. "Good. That means you care about this. Now don't screw up."

Mikan frowned and pulled at her pencil skirt the moment the car dropped her off in front of the Music Stars building. It seemed to loom over her even more than usual and she took a deep breath and closed her eyes briefly before she plucked up enough courage to step into the building.

As if waiting for her, Narumi popped up from her left. "Good morning! I hope you slept well!"

"Good morning." Mikan tried to smile through her nerves, but it felt foreign on her face.

Narumi stopped in his tracks and smiled encouragingly. "Hey, don't worry, Mikan! You're going to do great! As long as the President knows I'm the one leading you, you're in. He just wants to meet you, that's all. This isn't a test. Just be yourself and show him you're passionate and hard-working and you'll be fine. Though," Narumi paused, "If you flashed one of your smiles, I'm sure you'll have him wrapped around your little finger."

"A smile?" Mikan frowned. "Just a smile?"

"It's like I said," Narumi reassured, "This isn't a test. Just be yourself. This meeting shouldn't last more than fifteen minutes."

"Fifteen minutes is plenty of time for me to do some damage," Mikan swallowed thickly as the elevator continued going up, up and up. "I kind of suck at talking to people."

"Well leave it to me!" Narumi grinned widely, adjusting his wide-brimmed hat. It took Mikan a moment to realize he was decked out in full theatre gear once more. "As you can see, the President is privy to my dressing habits and it's ostentatious at best! You have _nothing _to worry about, Mikan-chan!"

Mikan actually laughed which made Narumi's smile brighten. "See? Really, you've got nothing to worry about. Your talent speaks for itself. I'm sure you do not doubt your skills _now, _do you?" Narumi asked with an eyebrow arched.

Mikan shook her head quickly.

Narumi grinned, knocked once on a thick set of oak doors and flounced into the room. In a booming voice, he boasted, "Mr. Yukihira, I would like you to meet Mikan Sakura, my new star!"

There was a man standing by the large, floor-to-ceiling windows and Mikan walked in nervously to stand behind the armchairs in front of the large, imposing desk. The man waited another beat before he turned around and Mikan couldn't help but swallow once more.

He was a handsome young man. He wasn't her age, that was certain, but he looked far younger than the president of an empire was supposed to be. She guessed late twenties or early thirties. He had dirty blond hair that was windswept in a way that made him look before clean and casual. From the light streaming through the windows, his eyes looked a dark grey and emphasized his lean figure in an immaculate suit.

He looked at her calmly for two long seconds before he stepped toward his desk, smiled and extended his hand in greeting. "Hello. You must be Mikan Sakura."

Clumsily, Mikan blushed and hoped he didn't notice how sweaty her hands were when she reached out to shake his hand. "Yes, that's right. Thank you for meeting me, Mr. President."

Both men laughed and grey eyes beamed down at her. "Mr. President would refer to the President of Japan," he smiled. "Mr. Yukihira is fine. Please take a seat." His eyes wandered to Narumi who was sitting proudly behind her chair. "You're looking bright as usual, Naru."

"Oh, you mean this, Kazu?" Narumi said, stepping away from the chair to flare out his outfit. "The birds are chirping and I figured, what better way to expose my appreciation for nature than with a one-of-a-kind, Easter appropriate ensemble? I've been told the colour brings out my eyes," Narumi said with a laugh. He twirled once before settling behind Mikan once more, putting his hands on her shoulders. "Okay, on to business! This is Mikan. She's a gem."

Mikan looked up at Mr. Yukihira in time to see him smile.

-;-

It was two o'clock and Ruka didn't get a call from Hotaru Imai.

"Still think they're coming?" Natsume muttered before he threw a handful of fries into his mouth. After going to the bistro across the street with Ruka for lunch and waiting for the two girls, both boys retreated to their hotel rooms. Ruka sulked with one eye on his phone screen and the other on the TV. Natsume had called room service to grab an _actual _lunch that consisted of a burger, fries, nuggets and a bottle of juice. Soda always made his throat hurt like a bitch.

Ruka shot him the evil eye. "I don't get it. I gave her my number and she didn't call. Don't you think that's a little weird? I mean it's me…" Ruka ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "Okay, did I just sound as cocky as I think I did?"

Natsume snorted and sent him a condescending glance. "I don't blame you for getting a big head. Girls don't exactly give off a good impression when they meet us."

"Yeah, I know," Ruka flipped his phone shut and rubbed his jaw. "It's just that… how long have I been like this? Who knows how cocky I was acting yesterday. No wonder Imai didn't call me back. She's not one of our fangirls. It's obvious." Ruka turned blue eyes on his best friend. "I might have…been a little bold with her." At Natsume's questioning gaze, Ruka grinned nervously. "I might have grabbed her hand and written my number on it. She's a little uptight so… I wouldn't be surprised if she washed it off first thing she stepped into her room."

"And they call _you _the romantic, charming, gentle one in the band? I think Mochu has more tact than that."

"Hey!"

Natsume swallowed another fry. "I wouldn't count on getting a call from her. You're going to have to find another way to meet up with your chick."

"She's not my chick," Ruka said offhandedly, almost flushing at the thought. "They're kind of weird. They keep to themselves a lot. I've never met two girls less interested in cooperating or befriending other people. It's so…bizarre."

"Thanks," Natsume said dryly.

"Hah! You were like that, weren't you? Or should I say, you still _are _like that." Ruka grinned before he grabbed his car keys and his wallet and slid his phone into his back pocket. "That's it. I'm going to Tokyo Plaza."

"Why?" Natsume frowned. "You get a whole day off from seeing their faces and you're going back so soon?"

"I'm not going to Tokyo Plaza to see Mochu and Kitsu," Ruka rolled his eyes and grinned. "Imai and Mikan live there."

Ruka had never been so tenacious in his life. His mother had been an actress and a well-known one at that. He hadn't grown up with a spoiled view on life. His parents were both humble, loving people and he never grew up in want of anything. He had decent clothes, a car to drive, a private school education and still, in high school, he was known as the shy, gentle boy. Ruka guessed it was true, but as the lead singer of one of the biggest bands in Japan, that had changed a bit.

Now he wanted something and it wasn't as easy getting it.

Ruka wasn't used to that.

When he parked his car in front of the hotel, Ruka dropped his keys into the valet's hand and strode into the door. He almost entered the elevators until he remembered he had absolutely no idea where Imai and Mikan lived. Well… he definitely hadn't thought this through.

With a sigh and a boyish grin on his lips, Ruka approached the girl working the front desk with his most potent smile. "Hello."

She blinked twice, brown eyes glazed. "You are…"

"Ruka Nogi," Ruka smiled. "Two friends of mine live here but silly me, I forgot the number to their room. It's Mikan Sakura and Hotaru Imai." He paused and waited for the girl to offer up the information, but the girl merely continued looking at him in a daze. Ruka tried again. "Could you look them up for me?"

The girl at the desk merely continued staring and Ruka blinked once before he realized asking this girl for anything at the moment was completely useless. Perhaps he should have toned down his smile.

"Nogi."

He turned around at the monotonous voice only to see the velvet-eyed girl enter the lobby. Her hair and outfit was immaculate and she had two textbooks tucked under her right arm. She was looking at him without any recognition in her eyes.

"You didn't come to lunch," he accused lightly, walking toward her and falling in step behind her. "You could have called to say you wouldn't."

"You should not have assumed I would go when you were acting like an abominable narcissist." She levelled him with a look of clear dismissal before she walked toward the elevator. "Besides, I told you Mikan was busy and I have better things to do than entertain some guy."

He winced. "Don't you think that's a little harsh?"

"If it was, it wouldn't have stopped me from saying it," she shrugged, jabbing a number on the elevator's panel. "I call it how it is."

"Okay, I'm sorry. I went a little too far."

"Are you really?"

Ruka looked at her in confusion. "Sorry? Sure. I mean, I'm sorry if I scared you or anything. Don't get me wrong. I know how cocky I may have acted. It's just that… you and Mikan are the only girls that have ever made it so hard to just be _friends_."

"Is that all you want to be with her?" Imai said sardonically. "You want to be her _friend_?"

Ruka felt a blush start at the roots of his hair before he answered. "Well, of course I want to be friends with her! She's an interesting girl and she's really…I don't know. Just different." He paused when the elevator dinged and opened and he followed her down the hall. "Okay, I might want to date her after I get to know her a bit more too."

Imai's lips turned up in a knowing smile. "Now there's a little honesty. All right, Nogi."

She turned to stare at him with those dark, intense eyes of hers and Ruka felt another blush inch up his neck. She was…it was so _unnerving. _

"Here's how this is going to work. I've known Mikan all of my life and you hear all about best friend duties and bullshit like that and their half-hearted attempts at seeing their best friend get the best." She narrowed her eyes at him until he felt the need to swallow his own tongue. "I'm pulling out all of the stops. You want to date Mikan? You've got to prove your worth. I'll get you that date you want. But bring one of your friends because hell no am I going to let you go on a date with the Idiot without watching to make sure you don't end up being a creepy scumbag—"

"You mean a double date?" Ruka blurted out gracelessly.

The girl's eyes raised to meet his in a condescending stare. "You catch on quick, Nogi. There's some hope. _Yumiko's_. You know it?" At his nod, she took her keycard from her pocket swiftly. "Make reservations for four for the day after tomorrow. We'll meet you there at seven."

She opened the door smoothly and Ruka only had enough time to say, "Wait, shouldn't we exchange numbers or something?"

"No."

Then she slammed the door in his face.

* * *

_MHR_


	6. Dining with the Devils

**Disclaimer:** All recognizable characters belong to Tachibana Higuchi. The rest is mine. :) Happy reading to you!

-;-

_Chapter 6. Dining with the Devils  
_

_-;-_

_-;-_

"And that's a wrap!"

Natsume closed his eyes and slipped the headphones off his ears to rest on his shoulders. He could hear Mochu and Kitsu fooling around behind him before he opened his eyes in time to see Iincho give them the thumbs up from behind the glass separating them in the recording studio. Ruka put a hand on his shoulder and grinned.

"Well thank fuck," Natsume breathed before he smirked at Mochu and Kitsu. "Now _that's _what I'm talking about."

Mochu looked up from his drums and grinned coyly. "Aw shucks, Natsume, it was nothing. No need to pay us compliments!"

"You're an idiot," he said coolly, setting his bass down before smacking Mochu on the back of the head. "If you played like you did the last time, I would have shit in your throat."

Kitsuneme grimaced. "Awesome visual. You know, just what I needed. But hey," he grinned, throwing his arm around Mochu and Natsume. "We got three songs recorded today! I say we celebrate with a couple of beers. Mochu's buying!"

"Hey! You're the one offering. Why don't you buy drinks for once, you little bitch," Mochu shot back at him before he drummed a four second beat. "Better yet, why doesn't Yuu buy tonight? He hasn't bought in a while!"

Kitsuneme brightened at that. "Yeah!"

Before Yuu could make his way out of the listening booth, Ruka set his microphone back into its stand and smirked. "No can do! Natsume and I have two hot dates to get to before seven."

"A date?" Yuu inquired.

"Oohh," Kitsuneme cooed with large eyes. "I didn't know double dates were your kind of thing, boys. One important question…" he paused, sharing a knowing look with Mochu. "Do they have any hot friends?"

"Not for you!" Ruka sang before he laughed and nudged Natsume's bass. "We've got to get going. We've got dinner in less than two hours and Imai will have my head if we're not there a little early."

Natsume rolled his eyes before he glared at his best friend. "The things I do for you, I fucking swear," he said lowly, ignoring the grateful grin. "Now hand your keys over. _I'm _driving."

Ruka merely laughed before he shared a few quick words with the sound technicians and producer. Natsume followed suit before finalizing the next day's schedule and taking off. The day had been a good one, a startlingly good one, to be honest. They managed to record three songs in one day. Others were known to do more than that, but for Black Ashes, that was a startlingly improvement compared to their last recording session. Mochu and Kitsu didn't have the longest attention spans and they almost always whined about breaks. If they continued at the rate they were going, they might just make their deadline. They had a little less than two months to finish off the album and get it to the higher ups before it was retouched and finalized.

Maybe then, Natsume could breathe a sigh of relief.

"Thanks again for doing this, Natsume," Ruka said slowly from the passenger seat. "This goes above and beyond the duties of a best friend."

"Yeah well, if I scare them with my _charm_, you can't blame me."

"You mean your arrogant, condescending charm that ends up making girls cry?" Ruka said with a light laugh. "Yeah, I know. Don't worry. Imai can give as good as she gets. She's kind of like you, I think. Rough around the edges."

Natsume shot him a dark look before they pulled up at the Golden Starlet Hotel. He tossed the keys to the valet before slowly removing his bass from the backseat.

This dinner was going to be hell, Natsume knew.

It was a no-brainer, really. Natsume Hyuuga didn't _date. _It was a well-known fact to anybody that knew about him in Asia. There was even speculation about him playing for the other team which the other band members had found _wildly _funny. That wasn't the case. Natsume wasn't gay and thought it was ridiculous anybody could think so. He didn't find any girls he met remotely interesting and on the few occasions he had to entertain the opposite sex, they were too boring, too talkative, too creepy, too _much_.

He found it hard to believe he could enjoy himself at a double dinner date when it was in a stuffy restaurant with stuffy people where he was expected to be stuffy himself.

When Natsume opened his hotel room door for Ruka forty-five minutes later, the first words out of his mouth were: "C'mon, Natsume, you can't wear jeans at _Yumiko's_."

"If I have to wear a fucking tie to this place, hell no will I wear a suit. This is supposed to be a date, not a funeral," Natsume grumbled, trying in vain to fix his tie. His red eyes caught Ruka's in the mirror and he glared. "I'm already going on this stupid double date for you. You can't expect me to wear fucking slacks."

"That wasn't part of the deal," Ruka sang, moving past him toward his closet and throwing a pair of black pants at him. "Put the pants on."

"You never specified any of _this _when we made that deal."

"Yeah, well now I am," Ruka smirked with an eyebrow arched in challenge. "Now stop being difficult. I think I need a drink before I have to face Imai's wrath. She's so demanding. It's creepy."

"Fucking great," Natsume drawled, throwing the pants over his shoulder and concentrating on his tie. "I'm the one that has to deal with the creep, huh? The more you talk about this, the more I'm looking forward to it," he muttered dryly, ignoring Ruka's laugh. "Now get out."

When Ruka was out of his bedroom, Natsume slid his jeans down and slipped his black pants on. The tie he tried to do up properly kept falling apart so he left it sloppily finished around his neck and grabbed his wallet before he entered his living room. When Ruka turned to give him the thumbs up, Natsume rolled his eyes. "Happy now? Idiot."

"Oh so happy," Ruka's tone was dry. "Let's go. I'll buy you a drink."

-;-

_Yumiko's_ was a pretentious restaurant.

Natsume remembered dining there during several parties and meetings and he never expected to go back in his own free will. He much preferred casual outings where he could lounge around instead of sitting in incredibly straight-backed chairs with four more forks lined up by his plate than needed and the kind of music reserved for elevators or when companies put you on hold on the phone.

The minute he entered the restaurant, he shot Ruka a dirty look. "Why would anybody want to go _here _as a first date?"

"It's classy," Ruka said defensively, putting one of his hands up in surrender. "Besides, I didn't choose it. It was Imai."

"Imai seems like a bitch," Natsume muttered nonchalantly, waiting as the hostess stopped in front of their reserved table in a deep corner of the restaurant. "Good call on the table."

"Thought you might like not being the center of attention," Ruka grinned. "But I'm sure everybody's gawking at Ayako-chan over there. She's got another gathering of admirers."

Natsume shot him a disinterested look in which Ruka responded with a snort. "You used to think she was cute when we watched her movies in middle school," Ruka reminded with a grin. "Don't even try to deny it."

"That was before I actually met her and realized she wears more makeup than a clown and has the attention span of a three year old boy," Natsume muttered lowly. "Buy yourself a drink. You look like you're one second from wetting yourself."

"Gee thanks," Ruka exhaled sharply. "What do you want? I'll buy."

"It's fine. I'll just grab some water."

"Water?" Ruka raised an eyebrow. "You don't want wine or anything?"

"I'm not forty. That shit tastes bitter."

When the waitress came back, Ruka ordered white wine and a glass of water, not before darting a look of pure amusement in Natsume's direction. Natsume rolled his eyes. "Laugh it up, bastard. I hope you drink enough to loosen your tongue. Then you'll end up saying something stupid and have Imai cut your balls off."

"Not likely," Ruka laughed good-naturedly before he touched his glass of wine against Natsume's water. "Cheers to a good night. Hopefully."

"Speak for yourself," Natsume muttered, but drank anyway.

It wasn't much longer that two girls were ushered to their table by the hostess and immediately, Natsume's eyes fell on the coffee shop girl. She was small and pale and she was also wearing a pair of dark blue jeans. Natsume immediately rounded on Ruka. "She's wearing jeans."

Before Ruka could reply, the girl rounded on _him_. "Well excuse _me. _I'm sorry I'm not the type of girl that likes to wear dresses and skirts and whatever everybody wears at places like these!" Natsume turned to look at her, slightly amused, and watched as her brown eyes blazed with fury. "You're that mangy guy that got me fired!"

She turned to the girl beside her quickly. "Hotaru, this is the jerk that got me fired! What's the big idea? Why is _he _here? I thought it was just going to be Nogi!"

"It's called a _double_ date for a reason," the black haired one said dryly before her eyes swept around the table. "Now calm down, stupid. Sit."

"M-Mikan," Ruka stood up from the table quickly, almost knocking his glass of wine over. "Hi."

Natsume snorted a laugh and at Ruka's glare, he stood up and inclined his head slightly. He didn't wait for a greeting, but sat down quickly afterward. Ruka was still standing up like an idiot. Natsume kicked him in the leg and watched as realization passed his eyes and he sat down quickly. He was quiet, so as his wingman, Natsume none too subtly nudged his glass of wine with his water.

"Oh!" Ruka jumped slightly. "Right. Did you girls want a drink? I'll just wave the server over."

"Water please," the simmering brunette said unenthusiastically.

"Champagne," the other said simply.

When everybody had their drinks, Ruka grinned slightly. "I should probably introduce everyone. Imai, Mikan, this is my best friend, Natsume Hyuuga. Natsume, this is Hotaru Imai and Mikan Sakura."

"_He's _your best friend?" Mikan said with disbelief, looking between him and Ruka. "You're best friends with someone like _him_? Why? You could do so much better, Ruka-pyon."

"Pyon?" Ruka inquired.

Before she could respond, Natsume pierced her with a glare. "At least I'm not a stupid little girl, Polka Dots. You might want to pull your shirt up. Who knows how long you've been flashing your bra to everyone," Natsume shot back casually, grabbing his menu and pretending to scour the dishes.

Imai snorted and Polka squeaked before she readjusted her shirt.

Natsume sent Ruka a sidelong glance in time to see his eyes glued to Mikan's chest. Natsume rolled his eyes and nudged Ruka in the foot to get him going but Mikan had other ideas. She pointed a shaking finger in his direction with a dark, endearing blush across her cheeks. "You! You're…you pervert! Why were you looking there in the first place? What would your mother say!"

A stab of annoyance flashed across his vision before he set his lips into a scowl. "My mother would be proud. She'd probably wonder when I could start popping out grandkids for her with you."

The blush on the girl's cheeks spread down her neck and into her chest. "You… _ah! _I can't believe this. I really can't believe his. How could this happen to me? Can't the big man upstairs give me a _break_?" she hissed, taking a long, unladylike gulp from her glass of water.

"You believe in God?" Natsume arched a brow at her.

"Natsume," Ruka muttered in warning, giving him a kick in the shin as a reminder. "Play nice."

"Yeah, be _nice _for once, you jerk!" Mikan narrowed her eyes. "After all, you _did _get me fired for _no _reason. What was upwith that, anyway? Do you like randomly molesting girls and getting them fired from their place of work or am I a special case?"

"He's not like that," Ruka said quickly. "You were the only one he's ever remotely tried to get fired."

Natsume resisted the urge to smack himself in the head.

Mikan narrowed her eyes. "So you admit it. You were trying to get me fired. Why? I don't get it. It just doesn't make sense."

"Well people find it hard to keep up with me. I don't blame you for not understanding. You don't seem like the brightest light bulb in the house," Natsume drawled easily, swirling his glass of water with his left hand.

"You accused me of coming on to you," Mikan hissed.

"You knocked a drink onto my lap."

"Yeah, because you tried to force me onto your lap! That's molestation right there! I could have sued!"

Natsume raised an eyebrow. "That's when we play the _'who do you believe' _game. Trust me, Polka Dots, I always win it. But enough about that. If I apologized, could we put this behind us?"

He was bored about the topic already and Ruka looked lost between defending him and siding with the girl he seemed to like. Natsume didn't want him to have to make the choice. "I'm sorry you dumped my drink on me."

"What kind of an apology is _that_?"

"_My _apology," Natsume deadpanned as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Keep up with me, Polka Dots. This is getting old. How old are you anyway? Twelve?"

Brown eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. "Almost eighteen, thank you very much."

Natsume turned his gaze onto his best friend. "You're dating a minor."

Ruka rolled his eyes but didn't look at him. "She's not even two years younger, big deal."

"I like how you don't argue about you dating her," Natsume smirked before his eyes landed on Imai. "So you're my date, huh?"

"Looks like it," Imai said like she was bored. Her eyes were scouring the menu but her words were directed at Nogi. "I didn't hear you asking her out, Nogi. Girls don't like it when boys jump to conclusions like that."

Mikan blinked in confusion before she looked over at Ruka. "We're not going out, are we?" She turned to Imai. "Is he my boyfriend and I didn't know about it?"

Imai looked at her in disbelief before she set her menu down and rubbed her temple. "No, he has not asked you to be his girlfriend. No, you are not going out with him. No, you obviously don't have a brain."

Natsume snorted, mentally appraising his date before his eyes found Ruka in a permanent state of mortification. "I-I didn't mean to insinuate we were dating! I was just…you're my date so that's what I was talking about when I mentioned dating, not that you're my girlfriend or anything but it's not like I wouldn't exactly…I mean… I think this is all a big misunderstanding so let's just—just put this behind us. All right? All right." He breathed out shakily and took a pull from his wine. "So! Does anybody know what they're ordering yet?"

Natsume almost laughed if this was happening to anybody other than his best friend. Slowly, he raised his hand to call the server over and they all placed their orders before Mikan placed her dinner napkin on the table and excused herself. Ruka looked on after her before he pinched the bridge of his nose with mortification.

"Can this go any worse?" Ruka moaned.

Imai looked at him without pity. "That's a stupid question. Of course it can. If you keep shaking like that and reaching for your wine, it's only a matter of time before you knock your glass into her lap."

Natsume rolled his eyes. "Just relax. You're making this out to be far bigger than it actually is. You're not fooling anybody."

"Mikan's kind of stupid," Hotaru said idly, fingering the condensation on her glass. "You might fool her actually."

"Not the point, Imai," Natsume said pointedly. "Your nerves are making you completely stupid so pretend she's one of the guys and you'll be fine."

"But she's _not _one of the guys!" Ruka protested sharply. "Do you not see how pretty she looks?"

Natsume rolled his eyes. "Yeah, she looks absolutely gorgeous, blah blah blah. Who do I look like? Her mother? You've seen a ton of girls far better looking than her and it's never made you nervous. Don't be such a sissy."

Ruka shot him a dark look. "You're so encouraging, Natsume."

"Just trying to get you to win the girl."

Ruka sighed, then nodded. "I know. You're right. Excuse me. I'm going to go clear my head for a bit."

Once their two best friends left the table, Hotaru turned to him and arched her brow. Natsume watched her in kind before a long moment passed. Then, without preamble, he murmured lowly, "Your best friend isn't worthy of Ruka."

"Funny, I was just about to say the same thing," Imai said testily. "He likes her enough, but for all of the wrong reasons."

Natsume glared at her. "Can you not see how head over heels he is over her despite only meeting her what? Twice? That has to mean something. He likes her more than just for her looks."

"Right," Imai rolled her eyes before clasping her hands in her lap. "Like what, Hyuuga?"

Natsume wracked his brain before the words fell from his lips. "He likes her smile."

"That's still shallow seeing as it's based on her superficial looks."

Natsume pressed on. "Ruka's not the type to like just any girl. He has girls throwing themselves at him from all directions. If he was as shallow as you seem to think he is, he could find a much prettier girl than your friend. As it is, he's one of the best guys you'll ever meet. He's not called the most friendly and gentle band member in Black Ashes for no reason."

Imai sent him a deadpan expression. "That means nothing if the rest of you are a bunch of cold jerks. I know a lot about Nogi already and he doesn't have a thing in common with Mikan. He's had the good life without a disturbance in his perfect life. Nobody like that could possibly understand Mikan."

"Oh boo hoo," Natsume said sarcastically, finally reaching the end of his rope at this clear attack on his best friend. "You know a lot about him from his online bio, huh? His Wikipedia page? You look like a smart girl, Imai, so don't tell me you actually believe a lot of that is actually accurate. So he doesn't have a traumatic background. Can you really blame him for that? You're very presumptuous, you know, and I know enough people that are completely opposite to each other and that have made it into marriage and whatever other shit people think romance is all about. So before you go ahead and assume Ruka's not good enough for your foul-tempered 'best friend', get to know him first."

Imai's eyes flared before her eyes flashed to the side to see Ruka standing stock still at the table. Mikan was still nowhere to be seen. "Mikan has gone through a lot of terrible shit. She doesn't have any parents and there aren't any relatives that came to claim her. She lived by herself in a dilapidated shack for so long when I went to Tokyo for school. She's always been mistreated by others and yet she still has this undeniably beautiful hope for people. I have two great parents, ambition, an imperfect best friend and a comfortable life and despite all of that, I can't help but be cynical because of all of the wrongs that have been thrown her way. If you really like her," Imai turned fiercely to Ruka, "—then you're going to have to prove that to me because there is no way in hell I'm going to let anybody hurt her if I've got the choice."

She leaned back with a low exhale.

Ruka gulped.

Natsume wanted this dinner to be over.

The three sat in silence for another three minutes before Mikan returned to the table with a bright grin on her face. "Koko broke up with Anna!" she exclaimed to Imai when she was seated. "I just got off the phone with him. He doesn't sound too happy about it, but they both realized it wasn't working and he's thinking about coming down to Tokyo soon!"

Natsume turned to look at Ruka and wondered at the back of his mind if Mikan liked this Koko person.

Ruka looked sick.

"Koko is a friend of yours?" he asked calmly for Ruka, who looked at him with a grin.

Mikan turned in his direction with narrowed eyes before she nodded in resignation. "His dad has the most popular radio station in Nagoya. That's how I got introduced to _Music Stars_. My manager was listening to the radio while I was singing."

"You sing?" Natsume asked derisively.

"You say that as if you don't believe it."

"Oh I believe it. It depends on whether or not you sing _well_."

Mikan's cheeks immediately developed a pink hue that Natsume found almost endearing. Too bad she just had to open her mouth. "You'd better watch what you say, Hyuuga. I'll make you eat your words."

"What words?" Natsume drawled.

Mikan's eyes flared to life. "You said I didn't sing well."

"Are you stupid?" Natsume raised an eyebrow. "I expressed no type of opinion whatsoever. I said 'it depends on whether or not you sing well'. That's quite different than 'you stink at singing.'"

"You were implying it!"

"Now you're just putting words in my mouth. Would you like me to stick something in yours?" he asked, lifting his napkin pointedly and rolling it into a ball. "C'mere, Polka Dots. Maybe when your mouth isn't flapping around, we can get a little peace and quiet around here."

"And what is _that _supposed to mean?" her voice was low with irritation.

"It means you have a loud, annoying voice."

"There it is again! You just told me I have a terrible voice!"

"How many brain cells do you have?" Natsume grated viciously, eyes sliding to Imai incredulously to which she returned with a shrug. "You have the comprehension ability of a three year old boy! Do you always jump to these completely random assumptions or do you just _like _to annoy the fuck out of everyone you know?"

"Well I'm _so sorry _that I'm annoying you, Hyuuga," she spat unapologetically, "If you're so _annoyed, _why don't you just leave so that I don't have to deal with your awful personality? I think that's a win-win situation, don't you think, Hotaru?"

Just as this was said, the server set Hotaru's plate down in front of her. Velvet eyes didn't move from her steaming entrée. "Leave me out of your lover's spat," she replied tonelessly, as she sliced into her fish.

They waited until all four of them were served before Natsume shot her a glare. "You don't talk with your mouth full, do you?"

Mikan looked offended. "What kind of question is that? Of course I don't!"

"Good." Natsume turned back to his plate. "At least five minutes without your loud voice…that's all I need."

"Why you—! You're an insufferable, arrogant, completely _mean—_"

"Mean? Are you in elementary school or something?" Natsume scoffed. "I'd go for dashing, charming, mysterious—"

-;-

When dinner was over and the two boys were back at their hotel, Ruka couldn't stand it any longer.

He turned to Natsume who was lying on his couch. "Do you really hate Mikan that much?" he asked as he unbuttoned his shirt and cufflinks. "I mean, I've never seen you argue like that with _any _girl before."

The question made Natsume frown as he looked up at his best friend. "I don't _hate _her." He said honestly. "She's just so fucking annoying, I feel like every word I hear from her mouth is going to make my ears bleed."

"I admit, I didn't know she had that in her, but the whole time, I couldn't keep my eyes off her," Ruka said with a laugh. "She's hilarious."

Natsume thought back to the dinner and pulled at the tie around his neck. "Oh yeah, _hilarious_," Natsume drawled. Just the thought of the dinner had him wincing. It was long and drawn out. Sure, Polka's reactions were amusing at best, but her _voice _just made him want to rip his ears off. He couldn't remember the last time he was so frustrated with one person.

A few blocks away, with her eyes blazing fire, Mikan grabbed a pen and started to write.

* * *

_MHR_


	7. Breaking the Silence

**Disclaimer:** All recognizable characters belong to Tachibana Higuchi. The rest is mine.

_-;-_

_Chapter 7: Breaking the Silence_

-;-

-;-

"These are brilliant, Mikan!"

Mikan couldn't help the smirk from crossing her lips as she watched Narumi read through the pages of her writing journal. She didn't quite know what overcame her in the past few days but she was inspired. She thought she might be inspired to the point of insanity. There was no other way of explaining how she came up with the eleven new songs that she wrote in the span of five days.

She was always quite adept at being able to write songs, but this… this was something else. The quality of the songs itself might have been among the best she had ever written and who could she thank for that? She hated to say it, but the disastrous double date she went on with Ruka-pyon accompanied by his infuriating best friend had her mind churning.

She had never been so productive in her life.

Tokyo was just what she needed. She'd never felt like this before, like she was free to come and go as she pleased and free to explore all of the wonders of the city without having to think of work and money and the things she needed to do—the stupid little things—to survive.

Music was all she was and she was finally able to focus on it without having to worry about anything else.

A thought hit her and its meaning made her chest swell with warmth.

If her existence was meant for anything, it was meant for this.

"What are you thinking of doing for your first album?" Narumi asked distractedly, as he continued to look through the songs. He looked up for a second and gestured to the pages. "These are brilliant. It definitely oozes feminism and strength." His eyes gleamed proudly. "I knew there was something special about you."

Mikan uncrossed her arms and leaned over the sheets spread out on the desk with a grin. "A lot of music today is about how girls are looking for love like it's the _only _thing. I'm just throwing around the idea that we should have other things on our mind too. Things like ambition, independence and friends." It crossed her mind that the words were almost cute before she shook it off and turned back to the blonde.

He had an odd smile on his face.

"What?" she scowled, collecting stray pieces of paper and ordering them, starting with her favourite. "You look like you just swallowed a Care Bear."

Narumi laughed out loud and settled into his desk chair across from her with a shake of his head. "You know… you don't speak the way you look," he said with a smile, as if he could see something she couldn't.

The look was unnerving.

Mikan couldn't help the reflexive scowl that immediately took over her lips. "And what is _that _supposed to mean exactly?" she grated lowly.

Narumi put his hands up as if coaxing a truce out of her. He closed his eyes, peeking out of one as if he believed she'd take it easy on him with the innocent gesture. She inwardly scoffed, especially when he responded, "Well, let's just say the leather jacket and the dark clothing do nothing to mask who you are." He winced and covered his face exaggeratedly, but he was already laughing.

Mikan didn't understand what was so funny.

At her raised eyebrow, he explained, "Mikan-chan, you look like a sweet, innocent little girl even with that scowl on your face."

A flush started up her neck and into her cheeks which made Narumi's eyes sparkle even more. "Take that back," she hissed with her hands clenched on top of his desk. She blamed the baby fat on her cheeks that still made her look, if anything, like a cherub. If there was nothing she hated more, it was the idea of people not taking her seriously and judging by the cackling, grown man across from her, her worst fears were coming true.

She hoped the blush of anger on her cheeks wouldn't be mistaken for embarrassment.

"That's enough," she sighed, gathering her work. "We're supposed to be here to work."

Sensing that his newest protégé was not amused in the least, Narumi straightened up and pulled the folder of papers from her hands. "You're right and I'm sorry." His apology wasn't very persuasive when he let out another laugh. "Your ambition is promising and that'll most certainly benefit you in this industry. Now, before you go, we have some matters we should hammer out." He paused and sat down once more, gesturing to the open chair that she'd risen from. "Please sit. I won't keep you for long."

She battled with herself for a moment before reluctantly settling down. "What do we have to talk about?"

He lifted his fist up and began counting off on his fingers. "We need to start preparing your sheet music, get the other songwriters to take a look at your songs, figure out who we want to hire as your crew for the first album, deal with your schedule, recording, editing, photoshoot for the album cover… we need to figure out your angle, your image, your theme for the first album—" She started to protest but Narumi lifted his hand. "You think having just any song on your album will be fine but if there isn't any structure to your first album, people listening will think you wrote this on drugs or something."

"I don't do drugs!" she spluttered in protest.

"I _know_ you don't but _other _people won't know that. Rumors start faster in this industry than you'll ever believe." Narumi sighed and looked at her with his eyes again, as if picking apart every flaw he could see. "On another note, the only time slots I managed to find to record anything is early mornings unless you talk about the late night weekend."

"Mornings?"

"Unfortunately… All of the more desirable time slots were taken by the likes of – oh, I don't know – the ones with seniority in this place," Narumi said with a wave of his hands. "You're okay with that, _aren't _you?"

She stifled a whine before reluctantly nodding.

"Great. In terms of the songs you've come up with thus far, I'll get a friend of mine to come down and look them over. He's an old guy to the music industry named Noda and he has a keen sense when it comes to these kinds of things so rest assured, you'll be in good hands." Narumi paused and then frowned as he looked out the window. "He also has a good eye when it comes to how someone will fare in their career so—" He looked over with a smile. "—it'll be a good time to meet you before things take off."

Mikan frowned herself but decided to keep silent. The more she argued, the longer she would have to sit here with the blond nut-case.

He yammered on for a while before he let her go and with her writing journal under her arm, Mikan headed to the nearest food stand to sate the gnawing hunger in her belly. The smell of hotdogs nearly made her go cross-eyed and she grabbed any stray monies in her pocket to purchase one.

Ignoring the rude looks of the girl at the till of the coffee shop, Mikan brought her hotdog and folder into the store before taking a seat in a secluded corner of the shop. She supposed she could have gone straight to her hotel, but with Hotaru gone back to school, the hotel room was a little too big for her. With her thoughts going out of control, she thought it might not be safe to go someplace where it was too quiet.

She never thought she would have her own apartment of sorts, but in a mere matter of weeks, her entire life had changed. She was still finding it hard to believe and even more time to get used to. She was hardly complaining, not at all—

The sight of her journal sliding out of her view made her blink with the hotdog halfway in her mouth. She pulled it back and blinked upward.

Not a second later, the scowl was back on her face.

"Please tell me this is just a nightmare," she muttered. She closed her eyes and counted two seconds before opening them once more. The grimace easily slid back onto her face. "Why do they let you terrorize the streets?"

Hyuuga smirked and started flipping through her book, all the while muttering, "You always have a nice comment to throw around, don't you?"

"Oh, like you're always full of compliments," she scoffed derisively before chewing off a bit of her hotdog. "Hey! Give me back my stuff!" she yelped when he delved into her later work. She jumped to her feet and made a mad swipe at his arm but he turned just in time to have her slap at his chest. He rumbled out a dark laugh when she growled and tried kicking at the back of his kneecaps.

"Are you always this violent?" the dark haired boy continued with derision. "The growing list of your poor qualities keeps accumulating, Polka Dots."

She stopped abruptly and huffed, darting a look around the shop to find that the half-empty café's chatty clients had mostly turned to give the both of them a curious glance. Her breath caught in her throat when a camera flashed from one corner of the shop.

"Hyuuga," she hissed angrily, trying again – and failing – to grab her notebook, "You're causing a scene and I _don't _want your faithful paparazzi nabbing me in a photo with _you _before my career even begins. The last thing I need is to have the rumor mill churn up a ridiculous story." The rest of her sentence was said through a harsh whisper and she almost thought she caught a glimpse of surprise on his face before it smoothed out once more into his patented look of apathy.

"You're the one flailing around the shop," he said flippantly, tucking the book under his arm and stuffing his hands back into his pockets. He looked casually around the shop, tilting his head down to make his bangs fall into his eyes before he began walking out of the store.

Mikan huffed, grabbed her bag and sprinted after him.

It was only when they were out the door that she realized she'd forgotten her hotdog. He totally owed her another one.

When she told him so, he merely laughed from where he was, once again, looking at her music and steered her toward the hotdog stand she had just bought from.

"Did you write these?" Hyuuga asked while they waited in line. His face was clear of any frown or haughtiness and she thought he looked much younger than he usually did. It almost made her nervous that he looked to be paying close attention to the words she'd written on those pages.

"What do _you _think?" she answered instead, shuffling forward in the line to avoid looking him in the face. "And by the way… it's rude to poke your nose around in somebody else's business."

"That would mean I actually think you're a person," he muttered under his breath, flipping quickly through the rest of the book before handing it back to her. With his eyes straight ahead, he grabbed his wallet from his pocket and commented offhand, "Your choruses could use work. They're all rusty at best."

Before she could open her mouth to object, he was placing three orders for hotdogs and thrusting a bunch of bills into the vender's face. She closed her mouth but couldn't help the glare that immediately shot from her eyes to land on him. "I don't care about your opinion," she sniffed, taking the proffered hotdog and taking a hearty bite. "And don't take my stuff again. I'm not below giving your grapes a hit."

He huffed a laugh with his mouth full of food. The image was not a pretty one, even on his face.

The thought almost made her smile.

"What are you so happy about?" Hyuuga asked with his mouth half-full.

She grimaced and shook her head before heading in the general direction of her hotel. Perhaps going back to her hotel room to write wasn't such a bad idea after all. It certainly would decrease the chances of having to see the likes of _him_ on such a lovely day.

She was confused to find him still following her.

"As pleasant as it was to see you, Hyuuga, your services are no longer required. You may now go along with the rest of your day," she said dryly, raising an eyebrow in his direction before popping the rest of the hotdog in her mouth.

He grunted while he finished off his second hotdog and continued following her like she hadn't said a word. The nerve this guy had was both annoying and impressive. He obviously had no idea what she was capable of doing and he certainly didn't heed her warning about hitting him where guys like him hurt the most.

"I don't have anything better to do," his voice was monotone. "Ruka is unpacking his stuff at our apartment and we don't record until later tonight."

"You're recording?" Mikan's interest was piqued. She'd never recorded anything before and as much as it pained her to ask for tips and comments about the business from Hyuuga, she was really too curious to care. From Hotaru's comments, Hyuuga and his band weren't new to the music industry and if they were doing as well as Hotaru said they were, then perhaps she could learn a useful thing or two from them. "What's it like? How far along are you?"

Hyuuga glanced at her from the corner of his eyes and raised an eyebrow. "You make me sound like a pregnant woman."

Mikan rolled her eyes. "Not the point."

He shrugged and looked ahead once more. "It's pretty fun. But when you're working with knuckleheads like Kitsuneme, it gets pretty damn unbearable. We've got a strict deadline and they're always goofing off and doing whatever the hell they want."

He didn't like it when they goofed off? What a dictator.

When she told him so, he merely rolled his eyes. "Like you would understand. As the leader of the group, it's my responsibility to make sure we meet the deadlines specified in our contracts. If not, there are consequences and a shitload of paperwork that I do _not_ want to do. We're days behind schedule."

"Fair enough," she conceded with a shrug of her shoulders. He was right. She didn't understand and pushing to argue the case would prove unfavourable for her. She didn't have any facts about the industry. Hell, she was still tumbling down the rabbit hole. "But just… don't forget to have fun, I guess. There's no point in being in this industry if you're not having fun and from the way it sounds, you could really begin to hate it if you let anything else get in the way of that."

Hyuuga rolled his eyes. It seemed like he was doing that a lot with her. "Your sage advice is welcomed and noted."

The sarcasm was not lost on her.

"Whatever, Hyuuga." When they approached her hotel, the thought suddenly struck her that he might be meaning to come with her there as well. She whirled around in front of her hotel and cleared her throat. "Okay, goodbye now. Nice to see you and all that nonsense. Run back to Ruka-pyon now."

"Relax," his voice was amused. "I wasn't going to come up."

At his words, she did relax and the reaction confused her. As a result, she turned and started for the hotel entrance until his next words made her stop in her tracks.

"You aren't suited for Ruka."

With a furrowed brow, Mikan turned and crossed her arms. "Okay…?"

She was about to add a smart rebuttal but stopped short when she glimpsed the look on his face. Gone was the look of haughty derision and arrogance to be replaced by something she couldn't describe. It was a look of intensity that made her swallow the words she could no longer identify.

She could've sworn it was there but it lasted a short moment before the smirk was back on his face.

He turned and waved two fingers of one hand in the air as a greeting. "Later, Polka Dots."


	8. Heating Up

**Disclaimer:** All recognizable characters belong to Tachibana Higuchi. The rest is mine. Happy reading!

_-;-_

_Chapter 8: Heating Up_

_-;-_

_-;-_

The last chords reverberated around the room.

Natsume closed his eyes and breathed in the smell of sweat, metal and pride until the last echoes of the song ended. At the continued silence, he opened up his eyes and caught Ruka's blue gaze. The grin on his friend's face made his own lips break out into a satisfied grin.

The entire four member band shared looks of back-breaking success before Tobita's voice rang out through their headphones. "Perfect! It's finished!"

Natsume's exhale of relief was drowned out by Mochu and Kitsu's roars of pride. Ruka came over and slapped him hard on the back in mutual congratulations. "See? You really didn't have to worry all of this time. The album's complete and with time to spare!"

Before he could defend himself, Tobita opened up the door to the recording booth and joined in on the celebration. Though he was their manager, he was every bit a band-member as well. And as much as Natsume did not want to be a part of the current 'group hug', Ruka pulling on his arm made it almost necessary that he join in on the celebration.

"Well boys," Ruka started with a shared grin with the rest, "I say we go out and celebrate! We've slaved away six days a week for the past three weeks because of this guy—" he said, pointing his thumb at Natsume with a playful shove, "—and we haven't gotten to let loose in a while. The photoshoot for our album probably won't be for another few days… right Yuu?"

As the man with their schedule, Yuu mentally calculated it and nodded. "That's right."

Ruka clapped his hands together with finality. "We're going out tonight."

"Let's go to a party bar!" Mochu and Kitsuneme chorused with matching fist-pumps. They looked at each other and grinned. "We've got that club membership with—"

Kitsuneme snapped his fingers trying to figure out the word before Mochu piped in, "—Midnight Mirage. We haven't gone in a while and it's pretty chill. Natsume, I know you don't like to get your groove on so there's the bar for you to take advantage of. For the rest of us," he grinned salaciously, "—there are plenty of girls to party with."

Natsume did not relish the idea of going to a party bar but when he considered their accomplishments and the anticipation felt by the rest of the group, he really couldn't say no. Besides, he didn't have much else to do. Ruka was already nodding his head and Yuu was wrapping things up with the guys in the sound booth.

With a sigh, Natsume shrugged and agreed.

The resounding holler of excitement almost made him regret it.

"And maybe we can invite Imai and Mikan."

The words immediately brought an image of the brunette and her friend to Natsume's mind.

He hadn't seen her in a while.

After the hotdog incident and another day when they passed each other on the streets, for the past three weeks, Natsume hadn't seen her or her friend around. Then again, with their album release set to come out in three months, there really hadn't been much time to do anything but get their recording done. Even with the recording done, there were a couple of photoshoots for the album cover and the beginnings of recording their music videos as well.

As much as it irked him to hear the girls mentioned, it was more confusing that he would think of her when he had down time. Considering that wasn't often, Natsume didn't pay it too much attention, but when he did notice, it only brought on more confusion.

He did _not _want those girls accompanying them tonight.

When he went to tell Ruka as much, it was to find that he was already on the phone with one of them. He sighed and began packing his bass in its case instead and waited while Ruka finished his call. When he did so, Ruka took a seat beside him and sighed. "So Imai can't make it. She's busy with school. As for Mikan, apparently she's going out with her friends tonight."

Natsume shrugged, relieved. "Then it's just us."

-;-

Mikan didn't consider herself a girl's girl.

She figured it might explain why she got along with boys much better than she did with girls. Unlike other girls, she didn't care much for makeup, boyfriends, celebrities and any of that other stuff. The way she grew up, she didn't have the money or the time to spare for frivolous activities like that.

So when she met Sumire Shouda, the famous actress, one day while at Alice Corp. dealing with fellow songwriters picking apart her songs, she didn't expect to get along with her much less be her friend. Despite first impressions and assumptions, though, it was two weeks after they'd first met and Mikan found herself eating lunch with the girl in her apartment not too far from Mikan's own hotel talking about, for the love of God, her fake boyfriend.

Or, to the rest of the world, her 'sweet, tennis-playing boyfriend.'

"He's actually one of the biggest morons you'll ever meet," Sumire continued, taking a swig from her ever-present water bottle. "That stereotype about jocks having the brain size of a gnat is unfortunately true when it comes to Hoshino. He was probably nice once upon a time, but all of the fame has probably gone to his head because he is the most arrogant guy you'll ever meet."

Mikan rolled her eyes and tossed a fry into her mouth. "That's impossible because _I _know the most arrogant guy. You know Natsume Hyuuga?"

Sumire cocked a brow. "Who doesn't? He's a pretty little thing."

"_Anyway_," Mikan didn't want to hear her continue, "—he got me fired from my last job and had the nerve to blame it on me. I've hated him since."

"Oh?" Sumire was curious as she forked another bite of salad into her mouth. "What was your last job?"

Mikan picked at the hem of her shirt and shrugged. "I was a waitress at this café in Nagoya before I got a contract with Alice Corp. Without that job, though, I would be broke as a joke." Feeling her new friend's curious stare on her, Mikan looked around her apartment and changed the subject. "By the way, how much is this apartment? I've been living in a hotel for the past month and I figure it might be high-time I get a small place for myself. Nothing fancy or expensive, though. Know anything?"

"Of course I know places," Sumire scoffed.

Mikan was beginning to realize there was always a scoff at the end of her sentences. "I can't believe Alice Corp's been paying for your hotel for the past month! Then again, you were scouted by Narumi. I'm sure you'll hit it big. They're probably not even thinking twice about it." She paused to fork more salad into her mouth. "If you want, you can just crash at my place. There's another bedroom here. It's not a master bedroom and it's definitely not the Tokyo Plaza, but you won't have to pay rent. All you'll have to do is cook for me. I can't cook for anything."

The sly grin on her face made Mikan laugh out loud.

"You could probably cook better than me. I've been living off of cookies and pizza for my whole life." At that, Sumire laughed. It crossed Mikan's mind that she probably thought the comment was a joke. Oh, how she wished it was. "You sure you don't mind me sharing until I get a place of my own?"

It took a moment for her to think that maybe this wasn't the brightest idea since they didn't know each other too well. Hell, they'd only met two weeks ago.

Sumire shrugged and put her feet up on the table. "Nah, I don't mind. Just don't leave your clothes lying around the living room and kitchen. That drives me crazy."

Mikan shrugged, "Simple enough. Any other rules?"

Sumire sat up and threw off her sweater before draping it over a nearby chair. "No sleeping in my bed. Don't be too loud in the morning… and whatever's mine is mine and whatever's yours, we'll share."

The midnight green-haired girl grinned widely as a joke and stuck her hand out.

Mikan couldn't help but shake her head before taking the girl's hand. "I'm going to regret this."

"Regret it some other day," Sumire announced before standing up with a pretty smirk on her face. "Roomie, we're going out tonight!"

-;-

As an honorary roommate—whatever that meant—Mikan was to sleep over on the night of the proposal and because they were going out that night, Mikan didn't have enough time to go back to her hotel room and pick up any of her clothes. Unfortunately for her, her new roommate insisted she not wear the 'ratty sweats' she was currently wearing. They had a packed day of napping, dining and Mikan had to make a quick call to Narumi before Sumire pulled her into the main bathroom.

She had never seen so much makeup or hair torture devices in one place before.

It felt strange for her to think that she didn't mind Sumire's presence as much as she suspected she would. Though the girl was almost completely opposite in personality to her, it almost seemed like a good thing. It was almost fun to let her throw clothes in her direction and make her hair all curly.

Mikan balked at the thought of letting her anywhere near her face, though.

By the time they made it out of the apartment, night had fallen. Though Mikan had no concept of what the 'nightlife' meant, Sumire had assured it that it was fun and that she would be able to meet many others in the entertainment industry. In fact, Sumire had invited a couple of her friends to join them.

Though Mikan seemed to get along with Sumire just fine, she was wary at the thought of any more girls joining them.

The music was loud and relentless from the moment she stepped past the threshold and into the place. Pulsing beats travelled from where her shoes met the ground, up her legs and into her chest. Mikan loved music and though this genre was not her style, she appreciated the reverberations and the evidently pleased atmosphere from the surrounding patrons.

With a giggle, Sumire took Mikan's hand and led her through a throng of people before they stopped in front of the bar. They were both legal drinkers, but being older, Sumire shouted out the orders and told the barkeep to set up a tab for her. Before long, Mikan was holding onto a colourful drink and being led, once more, through the swarm of bodies.

They stopped in front of a table where a girl with grey-ish blue hair was sitting with a blond and a smaller little girl with black hair. The former looked up and a shy but wide smile stretched the length of her face. "Sumire," she said, standing up and giving Mikan's new roommate a hug. "Good to see you could make it!" Her grey eyes turned to Mikan who couldn't help but think she was a very freakin' beautiful girl.

"Who's your friend?"

"You're looking cute as always, Nobara," Sumire smirked and took a sip of her drink. Mikan blinked at the disequilibrium when Sumire slung her arm around her shoulders. "This is Mikan Sakura. She's a new pick at Alice Corp. and she's my new roommate!"

"Your new roommate?" Nobara smiled at her, showing a set of perfect, white teeth. "You might want to think through this decision of yours, Mikan. Sumire's a handful."

"I'm starting to get that," Mikan responded dryly while tossing a glare in Sumire's direction.

Nobara laughed and gestured for them to sit down. "Sumire, Mikan, these are my friends from the other side—Luna and Aoi." She pointed to the blonde, then the raven haired girl respectively. "Misaki was here a second ago, but she might be making out with her boyfriend again." Nobara took a seat and looked around the bar. "There are a lot of us here tonight."

"Us?" Mikan asked, sending Sumire a curious look.

Before Sumire could respond, the blond piped in. "People from the entertainment industry." She pressed her lips together in thought while she looked at Mikan before her blue eyes snapped with recognition. "Oh! Are you the Sakura that Anjo Narumi picked up?"

Mikan nodded and looked at her curiously.

"How'd you hear about her?" Sumire asked in her stead. "Does everyone from Anti-Alice know about her too?"

Luna shrugged. "If she's a pick from Narumi, everyone's going to hear about it. I don't know if the others know, but our company likes to be in the know, y'know?"

From beside her, Aoi giggled. "That sounded really stupid, Luna."

Luna shot her a good-natured glare before the two talked amongst themselves. Mikan looked to Sumire and cocked a brow. "So they're all from the AAO?"

"Yeah, except Nobara. She's from Z." At her questioning glance, Sumire sighed. "Z is another big company like Alice and Anti-Alice Corp. It's pretty big in the entertainment industry but not as big as ours. It's quickly climbing up though, and apparently they're really chill. Nobara's always out and about while we're being grilled to the bone."

At those words, Nobara lifted up her drink with a shy wink and a smile before she took a large sip of her drink. "Hey, don't hate the player."

Mikan nodded in understanding before taking another sip of her drink. It was fruity, but there was a distinct taste of something stronger. She wasn't stupid enough to think there wasn't any alcohol in this drink, but she also knew that with no experience drinking previously, she would have to watch how many of them she drank, if any more. It would be best to keep her wits about her while she was here.

"So Mikan, are you acting like Sumire?" the girl named Aoi asked with a curious smile to her face.

Mikan shook her head. "No, I sing."

"Really?" The smile on her face lit up beautifully. "My brother sings too!" She looked down at her hands before glancing at Luna. "Luna is an actress and a model. Nobara is an actress."

Mikan waited for the girl to continue but it was obvious she didn't plan to. Mikan blinked. "And you?"

"Me? Oh—"

"She's a model, too," Luna piped up from her side. When Mikan's eyes slid over to her, the blond flipped her hair over her shoulder and smiled. "She's going to be an actress one day, too."

Aoi blushed. "No, I'm not—"

"Well, not with that attitude," Luna berated playfully with a slightly firm edge. "Chin up, buttercup. Stick with us and you'll always be okay."

Aoi looked up at her, sighed and then nodded.

Most likely sensing the drop in the atmosphere, Sumire clapped her hands and held up her drink. It was with a start that Mikan noticed all of the other girls holding their drinks up in turn. "I'm making a toast," she announced brightly, teeth flashing white with mirth, "—to new friends and bright careers! Here here!"

Mikan raised her drink just in time to clink with the rest of them as they all chorused in unison.

Just as she finished her drink, Nobara went up to buy a round of shots. Mikan had heard about shots, but she had never sampled it. Just like makeup, alcohol was not something she wanted to waste her hard-earned money on. It didn't stop her from being curious as the little cup of liquid was put in front of her.

She eyed it speculatively and frowned.

"What?" Sumire taunted with a giggle. "You look like you're thinking hard about something."

Mikan tore her gaze from her before swallowing. "So what is this exactly?" she asked instead.

"Don't tell me you haven't had shots before…" Luna sounded shocked. She put down her shot glass and leaned across the table to look at her in the eyes. She leaned back quickly after a short moment. "You haven't!"

"That fruity drink I just had was my first taste of alcohol…"

Sumire choked. "No!"

Mikan blinked.

Sumire whirled around in her seat and grabbed Mikan's forearm. "No!"

"Yes?"

Sumire threw her hands up in the air and moaned. "Noo!"

"What?" Mikan didn't try to hide the confusion from her voice. "Why do you keep saying that?"

Sumire shook her head. "Because this is your first time drinking, of _course _we're going to have to get you drunk! _Duh!_ And because you're my new roommate, it's my responsibility to be the designated driver!"

"I'm not planning on getting drunk tonight." Mikan furrowed her brow. "And you didn't even drive here…"

"That's true," Sumire replied, looking at the rest of the girls at the table. "But you're going to need somebody to take care of you and as your new roommate, I'll have to take the responsibility."

Mikan couldn't help the incredulous laugh. "It doesn't matter. I'm not planning on getting drunk tonight."

Sumire grinned and shared a look with the other girls. "Key word: _planning._" She patted Mikan on the arm. "Sometimes, Mikan, things do not go according to plan."

Mikan looked up at the ceiling. She caught Aoi's eyes, shared a grin and an eye roll. "You're ridiculous," Mikan responded instead.

"Am I?" Sumire raised a brow. She raised her little shot glass and grinned. "Bottoms up, ladies. We're getting crazy tonight."

-;-

Mikan was not a dancer.

Sumire understood. The other girls understood.

But apparently, boys just did not get it.

No matter how many she turned away, there was always another lurking somewhere in the distance waiting for another rejection. Luna tried to get her to dance but was met with much resistance. Instead, each of the girls took it upon themselves to keep her company while the others were on the dance floor. More often than not, they brought her a drink with them.

She made certain to reciprocate but it gave her a sense of discomfort. She'd never bought much in her life, never indulged in much and here she was, throwing down money to buy alcohol? The thought made her sick. Another thought that made her sick was being indebted to somebody else.

Right when she decided she would no longer be drinking, Aoi squeaked and sunk down into her seat to hide.

Mikan blinked and looked in the direction she had previously been looking but couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. There were people dancing and standing, chatting and drinking.

"What's wrong with you?" Mikan laughed, leaning over the table to talk to her.

"Shhhh!"

Mikan immediately looked around to see what was going on, but couldn't discern anything strange. She was just going to wait until the girl snapped out of it before Luna popped up from out of nowhere and slid in right beside Aoi.

"SO! Make like we're talking about something casual," Luna said quickly, as if she didn't see the girl hiding right beside her. All of a sudden, she laughed though nothing had been said. It took her only a moment for Mikan to realize that this was Luna's acting skills in the works.

Slightly alarmed, Mikan asked, "What's going on?"

"Laugh like I just said something funny," Luna said casually, "—_don't _look around!"

Mikan laughed nervously and Luna grinned in response.

"We're trying to blend in," Luna said as an answer to Mikan's previous question.

Mikan didn't have to fake a laugh this time. "You do realize it's kind of hard for a movie star to hide in public, right? You've had guys come up to you all night."

And it was true. She'd met more people in the entertainment business in the last two hours than she had in her few months working at Alice Corp.

"No, it's different because—" she cut herself off abruptly and pasted a smile on her face. "Hi."

"Where's my sister?"

At the sound of his voice, Mikan's eyes widened. She whipped around in her seat and closed her eyes. "Please, please, _please _do not tell me—"

When she started speaking, Natsume had turned to look at her. His eyes barely glanced in her direction before he was looking back at Luna. Not a second later, his head had whipped back to look at her. "Polka Dots, what are you—" His eyes were wide. Then he furrowed his eyebrows and looked at her closely. "What the hell are you _wearing_?"

"You know each other?" Aoi piped up from her hiding spot.

At the sound of her voice, Natsume's eyes whirled to her and his eyes narrowed even further.

Aoi gulped. "Uhm… big brother… Hi?"

-;-

Mikan blinked and looked back and forth between the two siblings. Hyuuga had glared at Luna and asked her to move over but the blond refused to let the two have at each other. Apparently 'big brother' Natsume was not too happy with his little sister. About what, Mikan didn't have the slightest clue.

Feeling a bit like a stranger in a group of friends, Mikan made to extricate herself from the table when she met with Ruka and the three other boys she vaguely remembered meeting at Nagoya under unpleasant circumstances.

Hoping to get away before they could get to the table, Mikan jumped up before bumping straight into Sumire. The girl was flushed from the dancing but otherwise, had not been drinking like she promised. She'd opened her mouth to say something before her jaw dropped.

"Holy hell, he's hotter in person," she said with a grin.

Then the girl was pulling her back to the table before she could resist.

Mikan grumbled under her breath before she slid into the booth beside her new roommate.

"Hi, I'm Sumire Shouda," she thrust her hand out to shake with his. Hyuuga merely chanced her an irritated glance before resuming the conversation he was having with his sister with Luna trying to mediate between the two.

Mikan raised an eyebrow at Luna who merely shrugged. "Are they always this bad?" she asked right when the rest of the boys showed up.

It was Ruka who responded. "Only when Aoi's dating."

At this, Aoi sent him a glare. "Don't encourage him."

Ruka grinned and shrugged. "Can't help it, but he's right. You're like a little sister to me and frankly, the idea of you dating somebody like _him_ makes me sick too."

Mikan blinked incredulously. "Are you kidding?" She looked over at Hyuuga to make certain her thoughts were accurate. He barely glanced at her, bored. "You're really giving her an earful just because she's dating someone? She's practically my age."

He rolled his eyes. "That's not saying much. You're still just a kid, little girl."

Mikan narrowed her eyes. "_Don't _call me that. You're what? Barely two years older than me? Stop acting like you're old and wise and stop treating everybody like they're stupid or repellant."

"I only treat _you _like you're stupid."

"_Not true,_" somebody piped up.

Mikan ignored the comment and glared at the male Hyuuga. "Special treatment, Hyuuga? Thanks but no thanks. I get that you're the big brother and all that, but she's old enough to make her own decisions and she can date whomever she wants. You don't get a say in it."

"The hell I don't," Hyuuga glared. "She doesn't have the best track record when it comes to decision-making and when she's dating a thirty-year old cat-man, you can bet that I'll be fighting her about it until I die."

Mikan was floundered by the idea that Aoi, who was most definitely just a year younger than her, was dating a thirty year old. She looked at Aoi as if to ask but when she didn't refute the statement, Mikan swallowed. "Yeah well, even if she _is _dating a 30-year old cat-man, if it's what she wants, you shouldn't be the one to stop her. You should know the more you tell her not to do something, the more she's going to want to do it. Let her make her own mistakes—"

"Hey!" Aoi piped in. "I'm _right_ _here_!"

Ignoring her, Mikan continued, "—but you never know, Hyuuga, this 30-year old cat-man may be the love of her life. If he makes her happy, then why the hell shouldn't she be with him?"

"He's just after her for her money and fame!" Natsume threw up his hands. "And what the hell would you know? You haven't even met the geezer."

"I don't have to meet him to know that you yelling at her to quit dating him isn't going to go anywhere," she bit out heatedly. "It's futile and even if you are going to do it, do it on your own damn time… not when you're in a public place."

"Says the girl that's yelling at _me _in public about _my _sister," Natsume said as a rebuttal. He looked between both girls and frowned, much like he'd been doing all night. "How the hell do you know my sister anyway?"

Before Aoi could respond, Mikan glared. "Why? Do I not meet 'big brother Natsume's' approval about who Aoi can or can't be friends with?"

He looked at her like she had another head. "You're being ridiculous."

"Am I?" Mikan could feel her face heat up. "Or are _you _being ridiculous!"

She could see the wry smirk on Hyuuga's face. "Mature, Polka Dots."

"You both are ridiculous," Sumire announced, standing up and pushing until Mikan was out of the booth. "Sorry, I can't take the heat so I'm getting out of the fire and you—" she pinned Mikan with her green eyes, "—you should probably stop drinking for the night, hm?"

Feeling a little out of sorts after standing up, Mikan nodded automatically. "Yeah…"

Mikan closed her eyes to regain her balance and when she reopened them, it was to find Sumire looking at Hyuuga and shaking her head. "Such a shame." Then she turned and grabbed Ruka's arm. "Come along, Ruka Nogi. You can buy me a non-alcoholic drink."

Mikan shook her head at her antics but stopped immediately. She sat down and rubbed her throat. "I think I need some water."

"Well if you didn't drink alcohol like it was water, you wouldn't be feeling like shit," Hyuuga's _oh so pleasant _voice piped in.

When she looked up, it was to send him a vicious glare. "You really can't shut up for like, two seconds, can you? And I don't feel like shit, thank you very much. Just a little dizzy."

"You two do realize you argue like an old married couple, right?" Luna's voice was amused from her spot between the two siblings. "You're chasing everyone away." When Mikan looked at her pointedly, Luna responded, "Trust me, I would have left with Kitsuneme if I wasn't stuck in between these two."

At those words, Hyuuga slid out of his seat to allow the blond to step away from the table and Aoi held up her phone and mouthed a word that Mikan couldn't catch. Hyuuga obviously did because he scowled and rubbed at his forehead as he watched her leave.

Hyuuga turned back to Luna and frowned. "You're crazy. Married to this?" He pointed at Mikan.

Mikan narrowed her eyes. "Can you not refer to me like I'm some sort of disgusting pet? And for the record, I wouldn't want to marry somebody like you either, Hyuuga."

"Right," he smirked, "Because you'd want the real Hyuuga, wouldn't you?"

"Oh God," Luna moaned. "You two are arguing like a married couple about _being _a married couple. I have to leave."

When the blond left, Mikan had had enough. "Look at what you've done, Hyuuga. You've chased all of those nice people away with the foulness of your entire being. Congratulations." She moved to get up but had to blink away the slight blur in her vision.

"Where do you think you're going?" Natsume sounded amused.

"I need a drink," she replied even though her brain told her to ignore him.

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"Like it matters to you. I don't care what you think, Hyuuga and for God's sake, I wasn't talking about an alcoholic drink." She rubbed at her temple. "I need some water."

She could hear his sigh and for a second, it confused her when she saw him standing in front of her. She was certain he was sitting down earlier, but he'd gotten up pretty quick.

"Just sit down, Polka Dots, before you hurt someone. I'll get you water."

"I can do it myself."

"I didn't say you couldn't," Natsume said patiently and vaguely, she wondered when she started referring to him as 'Natsume' in her head. "I'd just rather you don't. Just sit down and thank me."

She looked up at him and glared. "Oh, you'd like that, wouldn't you? Ugh, the idea of thanking you is making me sick. Forget it, Hyuuga. I'm grabbing my own water. Hold down the table."

"Are you always this fucking stubborn?" He was getting angry.

"Are you always this argumentative?" She fired back.

He laughed incredulously. "Are you listening to yourself? You're always the one picking a fight with me. And what the hell are you wearing anyway?"

"What's it to you what I decide to wear? Do you always have to be in control of everything? Huh? First, Aoi can't date some old guy. Then she can't be friends with me. Now I can't wear a dress? What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I never said she couldn't be friends with you!"

"Like she needs your permission anyway, you control freak!"

She was about to say something more when something warm touched her arm, making her lose her equilibrium. It took another second to realize there was a delicious pressure against her lips and the heat on her arms were warm hands.

She'd never been kissed before, but the response was automatic.

It felt like just a second that she pressed her lips back before Natsume pushed himself away and blinked at her. His breath was on her lips and the warmth of his hands remained even though he pulled them away shortly after.

Swallowing, he gently pushed her to take a seat. The smirk was strained on his face. "I knew that would shut you up for a bit. Now sit down, Polka Dots. I'm getting you water."


	9. Chapter Nine

So, because this story was written about two years ago and my writing was atrocious, I'm taking down this story and will be replacing chapters when I finish revising. The thought of somebody reading this story when it's _this _bad makes me cringe with self-loathing. Anyway, feel free to read my other works that aren't totally as bad as this one. I'll have this one day as soon as I can.

Thank you for the continuous support, guys!

I really do appreciate it.

MHR

_Updated: March 20, 2010_


	10. Chapter Ten

So, because this story was written about two years ago and my writing was atrocious, I'm taking down this story and will be replacing chapters when I finish revising. The thought of somebody reading this story when it's _this _bad makes me cringe with self-loathing. Anyway, feel free to read my other works that aren't totally as bad as this one. I'll have this one day as soon as I can.

Thank you for the continuous support, guys!

I really do appreciate it.

MHR

_Updated: March 20, 2010_


	11. Chapter Eleven

So, because this story was written about two years ago and my writing was atrocious, I'm taking down this story and will be replacing chapters when I finish revising. The thought of somebody reading this story when it's _this _bad makes me cringe with self-loathing. Anyway, feel free to read my other works that aren't totally as bad as this one. I'll have this one day as soon as I can.

Thank you for the continuous support, guys!

I really do appreciate it.

MHR

_Updated: March 20, 2010_


	12. Chapter Twelve

So, because this story was written about two years ago and my writing was atrocious, I'm taking down this story and will be replacing chapters when I finish revising. The thought of somebody reading this story when it's _this _bad makes me cringe with self-loathing. Anyway, feel free to read my other works that aren't totally as bad as this one. I'll have this one day as soon as I can.

Thank you for the continuous support, guys!

I really do appreciate it.

MHR

_Updated: March 20, 2010_


	13. Chapter Thirteen

So, because this story was written about two years ago and my writing was atrocious, I'm taking down this story and will be replacing chapters when I finish revising. The thought of somebody reading this story when it's _this _bad makes me cringe with self-loathing. Anyway, feel free to read my other works that aren't totally as bad as this one. I'll have this one day as soon as I can.

Thank you for the continuous support, guys!

I really do appreciate it.

MHR

_Updated: March 20, 2010_


	14. Chapter Fourteen

So, because this story was written about two years ago and my writing was atrocious, I'm taking down this story and will be replacing chapters when I finish revising. The thought of somebody reading this story when it's _this _bad makes me cringe with self-loathing. Anyway, feel free to read my other works that aren't totally as bad as this one. I'll have this one day as soon as I can.

Thank you for the continuous support, guys!

I really do appreciate it.

MHR

_Updated: March 20, 2010_


	15. Chapter Fifteen

So, because this story was written about two years ago and my writing was atrocious, I'm taking down this story and will be replacing chapters when I finish revising. The thought of somebody reading this story when it's _this _bad makes me cringe with self-loathing. Anyway, feel free to read my other works that aren't totally as bad as this one. I'll have this one day as soon as I can.

Thank you for the continuous support, guys!

I really do appreciate it.

MHR

_Updated: March 20, 2010_


	16. Chapter Sixteen

So, because this story was written about two years ago and my writing was atrocious, I'm taking down this story and will be replacing chapters when I finish revising. The thought of somebody reading this story when it's _this _bad makes me cringe with self-loathing. Anyway, feel free to read my other works that aren't totally as bad as this one. I'll have this one day as soon as I can.

Thank you for the continuous support, guys!

I really do appreciate it.

MHR

_Updated: March 20, 2010_


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